Christmas Party date and potluck plan

From the replies I have had so far, it seems most people prefer Friday evening, so we will do our Christmas party on Friday, Dec. 12th. (From 5pm to 7 or 8-ish)

Please reply at your earliest convenience whether you can come to the party or not. At the moment (12/1), about 20 guests are expected.

CARPOOLING: If you can offer a ride to some people, or if you need a ride from someone, please let me know as soon as you can. Thank you.
And if you are coming, please also let me know what kind of food and/or drink you would like to bring for the potluck, so that I can plan what I should provide accordingly.

*The following list will be updated everyday (or each time I receive a reply from someone).
- Appetizers (dips & chips, cheese, bread, etc.)
Spinach Dip with bread.

- Salads
Fruit Salad.

- Main Dishes
fried rice
noodle dish
pineapple chicken
fried dumplings

- Side dishes

- Desserts
Pie (filling will be a surprise)
Mushi manju (= Japanese steamed cake)
Fudge
Passion Fruit Mousse

- Drinks
Alcohol Drinks (wine, beer etc.)
Beer
Wine

Soft Drinks
　eggnog

Thank you for your cooperation!

Date change for Christmas party

I am sorry, but we need to rearrange the date for our Christmas Party.

It was planned for Saturday, the 13th of Dec., but it turned out that my mother-in-law who is going to visit us from the end of November is leaving on the 14th (Sunday) morning.

Please let me know either by email or at the next class which option in the following you prefer, or which date you can/cannot make it:

Option 1: 12th Dec. Friday from 5pm to 7～8pm
Option 2: 14th Dec. Sunday from 5pm to 7～8pm

Sorry again, and thank you for your understanding!

Christmas Party (Mark the date)

Though this is not the final decision, we are most likely to have our Christmas potluck party at my place (7-8 minutes drive from IU Campus) on December 13th, Saturday, from 4 or 5 PM to 7 or 8 PM.

Please mark the date ^^

Our baby arrived!

On Thursday, April 17th 2008 (just two days after our last class!), our baby boy Benjamin Takumi（拓海=a pioneer of the sea) arrived to this world.

Thank you very much again for your supports and understanding about my having a baby.

I am looking forward to seeing you guys again for the next semester classes in September!

Have a great summer ^^

Thank you very much for the surprise baby shower

I was really surprised by the "surprise baby shower" which some of the students and ACC staff had secretly organized for me on my last day of teaching at ACC in the 2008 Spring Semester.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for everyone who organized it and attended the shower!!

And those who were so generous as to give me baby shower gifts --- thank you very much for that too!!

Potluck Party Update

I will update this list each time there is a new addition. (Or you can also directly put it on this blog by using a comment function. You just need to click the number in the brackets following "コメント" at the end of this post.)
You don't have to feel obliged to "report" what you are going to bring- you can surprise us if you want, of course!

Dishes, Drinks etc. offered so far by the guests:

Main Dish
(1) Japchae (Korean noodle dish with meat and vegetable) (Soren and Bill)
(2) Lasagna (Gabe)
(3) Gratin (Chie)

Salad or Side Dish
(1) Rice Salad (Ayumi)

Dessert
(1) Brazilian Passion-Fruit Mousse (Mayumi)
(2) Sweet Potato Tart (M.H)
(3) Assortment of chocolates (Natsuki) - updated on 11/25

Drink
(1) Red Wine or Port Wine (Jasmin)

So far we have quite a few main dishes, so some more salads, vegetable side dishes, snacks (such as cheese, vegetable stick with dipping sauce, chips etc.), desserts, and drinks will be most welcome ^^
But I will also prepare dishes and drinks according to the list, so please feel free to choose whatever you want.

IMPORTANT Notice - date change of the party at ACC

I just received an email from Babita (associate manager at ACC) about the change of the plan of the end-of-term party.

Given that everyone is really busy this term, they decided to postpone the party from Nov. 30th to Jan. 11th.
So there will be no party on Nov. 30th at ACC --- and those who have to miss the class next week (11/20), I'll see you on 12/4.

However, I have a suggestion... why don't we have either a pot-luck party at my place, or goin out for a dinner, perhaps at a Japanese restaurant or a Korean restaurant in town, on Friday Nov. 30th?
If most people prefer Saturday, we could do that on Dec. 1 (Sat.) instead of Nov. 30 too. (My sister is leaving back for Japan on Dec. 3, Mon.)

Since I have my youngest sister Yuriko (22 year old) visiting me in Bloomington at that time, I would really love to give her an opportunity to meet my students, and vice versa, for you guys to meet her and try to speak some Japanese with her.

I will invite some of my Japanese friends along too, and each of you are welcome to bring one or two friends as well.

Please let me know what you think about this suggestion --- you can either email me or leave a comment on this blog. When you answer me, please comment on the following:

(1) Whether you can come and join the pot-luck party or dinner out

(2) Which you prefer, a pot-luck party at my place (you can either drive or catch a bus to my place - it's about 10 minutes drive from campus), or a dinner at a restaurant (If you prefer a restaurant, please let me know which you prefer, Japanese or Korean)

(3) Which date you prefer, Fri. Nov. 30th or Sat. Dec. 1st

Thank you very much.

End-of-Term party

ACC (Asian Culture Center) is planning to host an "End-of-Term" party at ACC on November 30th for all the language classes they run.

All the students who participate in any of the language classes which ACC is running can come to the party, and you can bring a friend or two if you like. I will also try to bring some of my Japanese friends so that you can try your Japanese in a real context.

ACC will present a certificate to all the students (who attended the class more than 80%) at the party, and I am also planning to present some awards to recognize well-performed and/or the most improved students. I hope this will be a good incentive for you!