Moving to Japan

Last blog entry was written in JANUARY…I’d say that’s a bit indicative of how busy we’ve been J A lot has been insane, and even more has been just fun. A whole lot of fun!

Let me recap a bit.

Our girls are 3 years old and 16 months old.

I stay at home and teach piano.

Donny attends school, and works on the weekends.

We live in Monterey, CA and life is a beach. Only literally…

Where to even begin? I feel like I have to-do lists coming out of my ears. Some times it’s a bit overwhelming, and I feel a little frazzled. But I know that’s expected. It’s like eating an elephant, just a bite at a time. The important things are being taken care of, or are already crossed off my list. There are just SO many small details to remember, and to follow through with. We started with passports, figuring that was the best spot to begin. I can’t even tell you how adorable Claire’s passport photo is. I can barely handle the cuteness!! Evelyn’s too! They don’t even know the adventure that’s coming up, or the amazing experiences that lie just around the New Year.

So we’re going to survive the last few weeks of the semester…I’m not quite sure how, but we will! Donny will graduate (With a 3.8 GPA I might add…) and we’ll stick around in Monterey until March. We’re still figuring out travel plans, and whatnot…hence the lists upon lists upon lists…you get the point!

More about Donny’s job…he’ll be a member of the English faculty at Tokyo International University. He’ll be teaching English to people who have not learned it before, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and just about any other nationality too. It’s a two-year contract, and there are several opportunities to renew. I mean, the Olympics are set for Tokyo 2020… Haha. We’ll see!

I’ve had a good amount of people ask us why we want to go abroad. For us, there are several reasons. It’s a huge stepping-stone for Donny’s career. Most stateside colleges and universities want their TESOL professors to have foreign teaching experience. So this helps set us up for the future, when we come back to the US. (Yes, we are definitely coming back! What other nation on earth fries Twinkies and has March Madness?) Another reason now is the perfect time is because our children are young. Making friends at age 3 is much easier than age 13. Yes, I am concerned about making sure our girls are happy and well adjusted to a new way of living. Will it be difficult? Absolutely. But we’re Hansens. We’re made of tough stuff, and we do things together, no matter what. Last, but probably the most important reason…it’s an adventure!! Why not? This is such an exciting opportunity, and I’m still pinching myself over it!

I can’t help but smile when I think about it. I thought I’d throw in this story, to explain a bit more of how I’m feeling…

When we started dating I was very young, and I still had lots of things on my ‘single bucket list’. Several of those were locations to travel to, and new cultures to experience. When things started to get more serious, and I started to realize that I loved Donny I needed to choose. Do all of these things on my list, chase those dreams, or choose Donny. I didn’t realize how much I loved him until I realized that I didn’t want to travel anywhere, or see some amazing sights unless he was with me. If Paris was for lovers, I didn’t want to go alone. And so I chose him, and I knew that everything would work out. The Lord is actively involved in our lives, even when we can’t see it.

And here I am 5 years later, laughing and crying…because the Lord does have a sense of humor, and He really is involved in our lives. What a happy life we share now. I’m still pinching myself, thinking, how did I land a guy like him. J