end of semester

Can the end have come so soon? It seems just yesterday that I was moving into my dorm for the spring, and now here I am packing it up again. I'm looking forward to this summer. I have an internship, friends in town, and maybe a job. Although my boy will be far away again, if a job pulls through I can go visit him a time or two. :) This semester has been a lot of things, both ups and downs. Readjusting to America and school, saying goodbye to a dear friend--these things were hard. But this semester also was full of enjoying being with my best friends and wonderful boy, and lots of learning and growth in who I am and who I want to be. It was also great to learn the ropesas a new English major! Tonight I was inducted into the English Honor Society Sigma Tau Delta and I am just so excited. I still don't really know what I want to do in the long-run, but for now I have found my campus niche, or my second one, after my HONRZ family :) I am truly grateful for this past semester of change and growth and look forward to what the summer will bring.Plus, NO CLASS! For part of it, at least. Let's do this! Hannah

Memories of Kyoto 京都市

I remember, walking down the dark, quiet side streets of Kyoto, hair damp, waiting for the bus. Having just been to the onsen and discovered God’s sculpting job of the human figure. Trying new sodas from the corner machine, “I wonder what this one tastes like?” ¥150. “Hmm rather like the last one, like Pocari Sweat.” Sleeping on the bus, hair still wet, towels in our laps. “how many more stops?” passing our stop and getting off at the station, because we knew that we knew the way from there. Past Kyoto tower, past the French deli (how many were there in Kyoto? More than in France, that’s for sure), around the corner past the Lawson and a left past the Honda place. I remember the cool dark air of japan, peaceful in its way, a refreshment after the heat of the bathhouse, where my sunburn prevented me actually getting in. “this one feels weird, there’s an electric current!” “what do we do?” the good-intentioned Japanese woman pantomiming what to do with the buckets. Figuring out how to shower, bathe and shower again. Being the only Americans and the only ones neither ancient nor brand new. Finding a strange but pure new appreciation for God’s handiwork in women. A new closeness with my new friends; shared experience; shared intimacy. “It’s okay, we were at the onsen together.”

Walking during the daytime and trying to find our way back—“where were we? Just keep walking towards the tower, we’re that way.” “can’t we stop for lunch? How about here?” salmon and rice. Gyoudon. Coffee-water, or was it tea? おいしい、アミっちゃん！So much walking.
Daytime bus passes, nighttimes wandering, trying to find the right bus, but we couldn't read the stops. Asking in Japanese how to find the arcade and shopping street, teasing amy about her Japanese “boyfriend.” More rice and salmon. Onigiri, yum. Jazz before bedtime in the hostel bar. Conversations. Candy corn.“I can’t find my train pass.” “Well, do you have it?” “No, I can’t find it…” Boarding the train to Tokyo, not knowing what awaited there.

Warmth, friendship, family.
The time I became best friends with Amy B.

christmas/クリスマス

well, hello there! there's no time like the early a.m. to write about your life, now is there?
finals week came and went, and i lived through it all. i even made...a's! unexpected a's! i am now at home, sleeping lots and generally enjoying life. some family time, some friend time, some personal time (late at night, such as now). and last night i saw the lunar eclipse! despite clouds, it was exciting to see the faint red of the moon as the shadow of the earth overtook it. it's really amazing!
christmas is coming soon, but before christmas comes, the girls do! you see, i am "hosting"/"kidnapping"/loving two of my japanese friends for a couple of weeks over the break! currently, they are in new mexico and arizona on a mission trip, but come thursday the whole home dynamic will change once again. here are two girls who have never experienced an american christmas before, in all it's materialistic "glory." it will be an interesting experience for all of us, for sure. right now my only issue is gifts for them, at least, personal ones. how do i give different but equal gifts? how will they be perceived across the culture barrier? i love them both, but i am admittedly closer with one of them than the other. how does that factor into gift-giving? i still have a couple of days to think on such things, but i'm just not sure.
really, i am tremendously excited to be having them here. after a week of "family time" they will be welcome invaders indeed. not that i don't love family time, because i do. but everyone needs a little space (although technically with two additional boarders there will be less space!)
we'll see how it all turns out.
in the mean time, i think i will sleep sometime in the next 30 minutes and wakeup sometime in the next 10 hours.
blessings, peace, joy, and season's greetings!
hannah

Here we go!

Well, here we go! Tomorrow I help two of my BEST friends move into their college dorms, and I move into mine this Saturday.


"Here we go! I can survive in this world, what more could i hope for?" These are the lyrics to a catchy Korean song by one of my favorite groups-Super Junior. The 'here we go!' is in English in the song, but it took some looking around to find the rest of the words. They seem rather fitting though. Here I go, moving out, leaving the nest, but I CAN survive in this world! Even I DO have 16 hours, work and I'm in honors... wait I can?! HAH!

Here we go!- Tonight was my final FINAL night of youth group. Youth group, my support system for the last 6 years of my life. Poof. Here we go.

A week and a half ago I got back from our family vacation to the mountains. As my senior trip, part of the trip was to the Grand Canyon. Let me tell you, it's grand! haha. But this was my last vacation as one of the 'kids,' it sort of seemed. Not as if I will no longer vacation with my family; I most definately will. But still, 'here we go.' A new world awaits.


Here we go!
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 12:12 (Hi matt johns! this one is on your ankle!) Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

I'm not too worried about college. I was really freaking out a lot the last week, driven to distraction even. But i prayed a lot about it, and funnily enough God led my mom and brother to drag me into my dorm room early for a sneak peak (we're so bad). It really eased my mind somehow. It's still scary to leave the home and family I hold so dear, but I know God has a plan! And strangely enough, he put me in it!!

Another interesting thing happened tonight- I got a text from the former boyfriend. At first i WIGGED out. He wanted to go for 'one last swing.' Swinging had been our thing when we were first flirting and dating. I was like no no no, almost crying, I can not will not why?! But then I thought about it for a minute, and I went. We just talked, friendly, what is going on, are you ready for college, blah blah. And after I felt such a peace. (I had prayed frantically ALL the way there.) He just wanted to clear up our friendship and make sure there was no more "awkwardness" -his word. God has really blessed me today.

And on top of that, when I went with my mom and sister to get a pedicure earlier, the owner gave us mine for free! Did I mention her daughter is one of my best friends that I'm helping tomorrow? :)

And besides all this Hannah-ness, my BABY brother and sister start 8th grade tomorrow. YIKES! HERE WE GO!!!

So,"Here we go! I can survive in this world, what more could I hope for? Is it only my eyes that see this? The world is really amazing. There's nothing better than this..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5iQAk1I0zI

God Bless

HannahVaughn