Five for Friday - Summer Edition

Well, I am not back in the US and boy is it good to be back! It feels so great to be away from the humidity. I can't tell you how much I hated the sticky feeling all day. I actually got back on Monday, but after a couple of days of getting over jetlag I'm back just in time for Five for Friday! :)

A got back from my Asia trip on Monday. I went on the trip with my mom and youngest brother and we went to Japan for a week and then Taiwan to visit the relatives for 2.5 weeks. Below are some highlights from the trip:

Japan

Staying in a tatami-style hotel
(traditional Japanese breakfast included)

A room inside Kumamoto Castle

Ordering ramen from a vending machine in a restaurant

Visiting Aso volcano, an active volcano

Taiwan

Taking a Hello Kitty jet to Taiwan from Japan

Even the toilet paper was all Hello Kitty!

Attended the reception of my grandfather's cousin's daughter's wedding.

Being gone on a month-long trip meant a month away from the boyfriend. It felt so good to be reunited again! Our first stop was dinner at some food trucks.

Despite the jetlag, I HAD to make a trip to Target to see what goodies they had for back to school shopping. I nabbed myself some leveled readers and a poster of the map of the US. 

I also saw these cardboard bins that looked really cool, but I wasn't sure what I would use it for so didn't get them. Maybe later!

A couple weeks ago, Staples was having an online deal selling spiral notebooks for 22 cents each. I just happened to be on the computer in Taiwan when it was going on so I immediately jumped on the deal. I bought the notebooks and some boxes of folders and had them shipped to my place (free shipping!). Can I tell you how excited I was when the boxes arrived? :)

We are heading off to Lake Tahoe today to attend the wedding of my boyfriend's colleague! Forecast predicts scattered thunderstorms all weekend so hopefully that doesn't get in the way. Either way, I can't wait! :)

Summer Vacation

So I've been absent from the blog for a couple of weeks now. Why is that? That's because I'm currently on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. I'm in Asia right now!

The day after I finished packing the room I jetted off to Japan with my mom and brother. We spent a week in Japan playing tourists and traveling around the island of Kyushu. I wish I could share some pictures. Unfortunately, the cable that connects my external (where all my pictures are stored) to my laptop is no longer functioning so I can't access my photos right now. (I hope that's the issue since that would be an easy fix...)

Now, I am in Taiwan visiting relatives and melting in the heat and dying from mosquito bites. My current bite count right now is 17 and I still have 10 more days to go. At least I'm enjoying delicious and cheap food. That sort of makes up for it. :)

Being out of the country means limited internet access. In Japan, our hotels at least provided internet. In Taiwan, I'm staying at my grandmother's, who doesn't even own a computer, so no internet there. I have to come to the public library to get internet access. The interesting thing about Taiwan is that EVERYONE wants to go to the library. Why? Free AC! So in order to guarantee that you will get a desk to work at, you have to get to the library before they even open and line up. Library opens at 8:30am and you need to get there at least by 8:15am to guarantee that you'll get a desk. Many of the people pretty much just stay in the library all day. It's pretty crazy. @@

So I don't have pictures to share yet. I will share them when I get back to the US. However, I do want to share some fun buzzfeed finds I thought my teacher friends would appreciate. :)

26 Signs You're a Teacher on Summer Break

What People Think A Teacher's Summer Is Like Vs. What It's Really Like

I will admit. Even though I'm on "vacation" right now, I did bring two books to read to get me ready for the next school year. (Click the images to order the books through my Amazon Associate link.)

Currently working through the Daily Five book. I've read the first version and have done it in the classroom before, but was interested to see what the second edition would provide and see if there were any changes due to the implementation of the Common Core standards. 

Finally, completely unrelated to teaching or anything, but a good reminder of life and how the things we should be doing for ourselves.

30 Things to Start Doing For Yourself

Be back on the blog in around 10 days! While I'm gone, follow and/or catch up on my adventures in Asia by following me on Instagram!