Sunny left yesterday to continue her epic journey and I am back at school now. I have two classes today including one with the new ichinensei (1st yrs) so I am looking forward to that. Sunny's visit ended with a fun trip to Okinawa honto. We left a teachers dinner/party early on Friday in order to be able to make the 1st ferry on Saturday and it was definitely worth it. After a lunch in Chatan Kelly joined us and took us on a tour of her castle (by that I mean Kitanakagusaku-jo) were we had the singular pleasure of watching some Japanese posing in full samurai get-up and samurai swords. Later in Shuri castle we were joined by Chris. After a quick sorte to Kokusaidori (International street in Naha) we made our way back up to Chatan for Elvira’s birthday party and on the way managed to pick up a bottle of tequila and a lemon (limes were nai!). After joining Elvira and company in the bowling alley we undertook some deliberations it was decided our only course of action was to drink the tequila then and there. A kindly bar maid cut our lemon and supplied glasses while a trip to Makudonaludo bestowed us with salt. Much fun ensued. There was dancing and shenanigans, the usual heady Okinawa JET fun packed night out! I very almost did not make it back to my island on Sunday, as I arrived at the ferry port the gangway was detached and the ferry about to leave. Luckily a sailor spotted my predicament and alerting me with a piercing whistle indicated I should board by the car ramp. I did so and they began winching it up as soon as I had passed inside, by the time I made it to the upper deck we were already underway, a close call indeed! I intended to laminate some flashcards at the school and then have an early bed but no. I was summoned to a barby at the beach for a friend who was recently married, Naomi (of the Japan Forum) married a Turkish man in January and this was there first visit together to Izena. Naomi lives in Tokyo and is 50% of the Japan Forum team who organised the visit to Izena of 7 international and 7 Japanese students way back in November last year. The Izena connection comes from when Sunichi (then attending Izena Junior high school) was one of their first Japanese students on the program. He is sort of their 'showcase member'. After that I went to the school and finished the flashcards, it's a hard life ;).