Finally something to report!! Yee haw! So this last week I went to Mesa for an athletic training conference. I have to get 75 continuing education credits every three years in order to maintain my athletic training certification, and needless to say they are due this year and I have none! So I went to Arizona to get some credits :)
I was planning to fly, but Mark couldn't get me a ticket in time, so I drove. Yes...drove 15 hours to Mesa and 15 hours back! It was actually not too bad. I listened to Japanese lessons the whole way there and back, so...ima honto ni watashi wa nihongo ga daisuki desu! 今ほんとに私は日本語大好きです！ Let's see if anyone can figure that out!
So Arizona was AMAZING! I had no idea it was such an arid place. I heard that pretty much no one has grass, but I thought that it was just a trend there, I didn't know that they didn't have grass because it was too hard to maintain. I was thinking it might be around 80 degrees, but the whole time I was there it was about 100 degrees! In the spring! That is crazy!
The conference was good and I learned so much, but the best part was seeing old friends and meeting new ones!
I had the opportunity to stay with a couple from Idaho Falls who migrate to Mesa in the winter. The Stakers! We went swimming, they took me sight seeing and always made sure I had enough to eat. This was the first time I had ever met them but they were great! They treated me like a member of the family, and really made my trip an awesome one! Thanks Lorraine and Brent!
I also met some guys from Japan who are graduate athletic training students at a university in Arizona. I was looking at their research poster and they were standing there to answer any questions. I noticed their names and asked if they were from Japan and they said they were. I was so excited, but when it came to talk to them I totally froze up! Haha! I said "Hajimemashite, Jenni desu!" Which means, nice to meet you, I'm Jenni, and then I totally froze and couldn't remember anything else! They told me their names and then I just sort of stood there. So awkward! One of the guys finally said, "Do you have any questions about the project?" I said, "Oh let me read it!" I tried to read their poster and I couldn't concentrate on any of it! LOL! I said, "Looks really good! Great job!" Then I just sort of turned around and walked away! Oh well, I will have to find someone else to practice Japanese with! :D
Anyways Arizona was a blast, and I'm so glad I could go! If you haven't been you totally should...it is definitely a unique place!
