She Runs, She Jumps, She Spins

Since we've been back, Ariana has spent a large amount of time climbing on everything in the apartment, including us. We finally got the hint that perhaps she needed an outlet for this rather new physical need so last week Ariana went to her gym class every morning.

We normally go just on Sunday mornings, but during the summer months, the school holds week long sessions as people are usually looking for things for their children to do inside where it is cool.

A man named Lance Lee runs the class and his four sons, ranging in age from 15 to 21 are the teachers. They are patient and really work with the kids. Ariana was the youngest and was very hesitant at first, but as you can see, she really got into the swing of things.

Here she is attempting a back bend. At the beginning, she couldn't hold herself up, but at the last session, she could almost do it without help.

At lunch she hung out with the older girls, who seemed to like having a "little sister" to take care of.

The week before, we tried a swim class, which Ariana liked a lot. She especially liked the goggles, so much so........................
.................that she fell asleep wearing the ones I bought her. After that day, we went to a public pool in the next town over, where she splashed around until she was all wrinkled like a prune. It is good she likes the water, because it has been so hot here, hanging out in the pool is a good way to spend the day.

It is very quiet, friend wise, during July and August as that is when many expats go back to their native countries for the summer. Add to that several friends who moved back, and both Ariana and I have not had that many people to play with.

It has given us time to catch up with some people we rarely see. And I have had a couple of dinners with my working girl friends, which is always much fun. Baba san and I went to dinner to celebrate my friend Gill's publication of her new book, one she wrote with her friend Sherrie. ' They are both professors - Gill's subject is political economics here in Japan and Sherrie's is political science and women's studies in the states. There was a great mix of people and we all had a great time until it was time to go home. In the cab I got really sad because it was the kind of night my mother would have loved hearing about.

But I can't call anymore.