Monkey Park in Arashiyama, Japan

Fondly remembered as Monkey Mountain, this quick side trip was one of my favorite parts of our Kyoto visit.

Visitor Information: Here is an excellent link with a map and other tourist destinations in the area. We took a JR Train to get here and exited at the Saga-Arashiyama station. Our intended stop was the bamboo forest and after wandering through that park, we found ourselves at the river. There is so much to do in this area. As long as you are walking in the right direction (towards the river), you can find something to see and do without having a detailed agenda.

That being said, if you have picky eaters in your travel group, here is my advice for eating in Japan: When the picky eaters see something that they are interested in, you should probably just stop and get a snack. Even if it is not lunch time. We walked by several food stands on our way from the train to the bamboo forest and there were items that appealed to everyone. Our get-things-done tourist mentality prompted us to keep going and wait until lunchtime to get food. On our vacations, however, we frequently end up missing the lunch hour because we were absorbed in one of our side trips and forgot to keep time. I prefer being able to do this than follow a rigid schedule, but it comes at a cost. You might find yourself very hungry and searching for food only to realize you are in a district that closes down shop between the lunch and dinner hours, leaving few dining options available. As with most meals when traveling, be flexible or plan ahead are two pretty solid options.

Here are some more specific details for visiting the monkey park:

Admission is reasonably priced between between 250 and 550 yen per person (approximately $2.50 to $5.50), making this an affordable side trip. Keep in mind that you will want to buy snacks at the top to feed the monkeys. I believe it is around 300 yen for a bag of snacks; I opted for the bag of apple slices and felt there was a good amount to feed the monkeys. Do NOT feed the monkeys outside of the hut. There are a lot of them and they are really excited- and can get aggressive- about their food. You want to extend a flat palm to the monkeys so they can pick up their snack.

On the way to the feeding area, you will be walking up a mountain. It may be a small mountain, but you will want decent walking attire and should expect a lot of stairs and incline. While you are hiking to the top, you may encounter some monkeys roaming the hills to burn off some energy. Keep in mind the following rules:



      1. Don't stare at the monkeys in the eye.

      2. Don't touch the monkeys.

      3. Don't feed them outside.



     










 
I saw this sign just after I took this close up photo of my furry friend. Seconds after that picture, the monkey ran towards my phone which was pretty close to my face. I am summing this up as a monkey charged at my face. I squealed and ran away, and that was the end of our encounter, but I did not try to get that close for another photo until I was safe within the hut.

I highly recommend this stop if you are ever in the area! There is a stunning view of Kyoto from the top and feeding the monkeys makes for a unique experience.

AmeriCorps 20th Anniversary

As you may have noticed through social media over the past week, AmeriCorps celebrated its 20th birthday on Friday, September 12th. To mark this exciting occasion, celebrations and swearing-in events were held all over the country; and, being lucky enough to live in D.C. at this time, I got invited to the 20th anniversary event at The White House. (!!!) Bill Clinton (who signed AmeriCorps into action) and Barack Obama both spoke on the importance of service and shared some of the incredible work that has been done over the past 20 years through the efforts of 900,000 members. And afterwards I got to shake both of their hands and say hi. Wow. Moving on, I would like to use this post to share a little more about the AmeriCorps programs.

First, as a typical AmeriCorps member, you commit to a year of service. You do receive a living stipend and (upon program completion) are eligible for an education award which can be used to help pay off loans or cover tuition at Title IV schools. That being said, this is a volunteer-inspired position, so it is not a huge stipend. The hands-on experience you get makes it totally worth it, though. I am interested in returning to school for a reading specialist degree, and this year I am working with a group of kids in one on one literacy interventions to help them boost their reading skills. It is phenomenal practice helping kids on a wide range of levels learn how to "become even better readers" with different kinds of approaches. Other benefits for me are seeing how a public school functions from the inside and getting a feel for what works and what doesn't in classroom management and general school operations.

Throughout the AmeriCorps service year, you need to keep track of your hours and make sure you are on track to reach the requisite number by your exit date. In my full-time position and I am expected to work 40 hours each week. This is not too difficult with my school's extended day schedule, but you do need to schedule in additional volunteer work to make up for holidays, sick days, weather days, etc. I will be traveling for Christmas, so that means I need to build up all that extra time outside of my regular schedule. For me, I can get extra hours by volunteering with an after-school program at my site or by going out into the community in search of volunteer opportunities. It is preferred that we get involved at our school for the bulk of extra hours to help strengthen community bonds and support students outside of reading. There are also school functions to attend such as back to school night or book fairs. Outside opportunities for volunteering in my program are open for more literacy engagement or whatever interests you want to pursue. This service requirement provides a neat way to connect with area organizations and find a cause you truly care about.

What I didn't realize at the beginning of this program year was just how many programs fall under the AmeriCorps umbrella. My trip to the White House was a fun opportunity to engage with other members across services. Here is a brief list of some of the groups I encountered: Reading Corps, STEM Corps, Food Corps, Health Corps, Teach for America, NCCC, Habitat for Humanity, City Year, Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps VISTA, and FEMA Corps. I encourage you to do a thorough search if you are interested in joining AmeriCorps to find a cause that really inspires you!

Meridian Hill Park

This outdoor space is a nice hideaway in DC when you are looking for some greenery inside the city. It is particularly special for me and my husband since it's where we got married last year. <3 Over the weekend we took a trip to Meridian Hill Park to picnic and renew our vows.

It was nice having time to explore the park this trip. One of the most recognizable features of Meridian Hill Park is the large cascading waterfall; however, there are a number of statues with varied subjects here as well. Try to make a connection between Dante, Joan of Arc, and James Buchanan. Weird. But they are all excellent works of art and make for a nice addition to a walk in the park.

The upper level of the park is lined with tons of benches, so there is no shortage of seating here. There is supposed to be a community drum circle on Sunday afternoons, but we have not made it to one of those yet. We did see a family playing with a remote controlled boat in the pond, a group playing badminton, several picnics, a few yoga enthusiasts, a couple games of Frisbee, and some crazy guys running stairs. This would be a great place to run stairs if you are looking to mix up your workout- there are plenty of them! 

Parking around here is not too bad if you can parallel park moderately well. We have been lucky enough to find a spot on W street both times but as we drove around the park on the way home, we noticed plenty of spots on the hilly perimeter. The U Street metro station is also within walking distance if you would prefer to leave the car at home.

PS There are clean public restrooms on site.

The Book Thing

The other day I heard a brief whisper of a magical place from another teacher. Since the first graders were intently focused on math, I didn't want to disrupt their progress with my sheer excitement, so I bottled it up and waited until I got home.

Had she really said there was a place where you could go and get up to 150,000 books for FREE? Yes! It's called The Book Thing. The simple mission of this volunteer-run organization is "putting unwanted books into the hands of those who want them." In Baltimore, MD an old, simple warehouse is a temporary home for tons of free books that are constantly flowing in and out of its doors.  Inside are rows of shelves filled with loosely organized categories of books, and yes, you really can take as many as you want. The "store" is open every Saturday and Sunday from 9-6. They do accept donations and, of course, more books.

Here is my haul of 81 books from this weekend! Most of them are going to help supplement the library at my AmeriCorps service site. I plan to return and stock up on more early chapter books that I can give out as graduation presents to students who exit the reading program this year. I highly recommend a trip to The Book Thing for any bibliophiles in the area. Next time E and I will have a plan to explore the rest of Baltimore, too!

Tips for visiting:

-Be sure to allow plenty of time to look. There is no alphabetical order.
-Check back in your favorite section before leaving; more books are being added while you browse!
-Bring plenty of bags or grab a box from the pile in the fiction room.
-Dress appropriately. There was no air while we were there and it was quite toasty. 
-Watch where you park. You do not want to get a ticket, so be sure to pull around to the front.

Spicy Lentil Stew

Leaping lentils! This dish is fantastic. I stumbled across the original recipe in a copy of Fine Cooking: Comfort Food and had so much fun making this dinner that I just kept adding more and more. My large stockpot is now overflowing with food, and for once I feel confident saying that my husband and I will both have leftovers for lunch and even a second dinner later this week. The recipe I'll post below is probably closer to 8 servings than the 12 that are on the stove right now. Keep in mind, this recipe is very flexible and you can always add more vegetables or seasonings to suit your tastes. I encourage you to sample as you cook!

Spicy Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

- olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 1 heaping teaspoon of curry powder
- 1 heaping teaspoon of garam masala 
- 3+ stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 bag of shredded carrots
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bag of lentils (any color)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 to 2 lbs of chicken thighs, sliced in 1-2" pieces (optional)
- several splashes of lemon juice
- fresh ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 box of plain couscous

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, saute 2 yellow onions in a generous amount of olive oil. When onions are translucent, add in curry powder and garam masala. Stir until onions are evenly coated.

2. Add ingredients celery through cayenne pepper, mix well, and bring to a rolling boil. Check back in every few minutes to stir.

3. Once soup is boiling add chicken if desired, and cook about 30-45 minutes until vegetables and chicken are fully cooked.

4. Add pepper and lemon juice towards the end and stir in half a box of couscous. Be sure to sample your stew and add more spices if needed!

Back to School and Back to Blogging

Look forward to regular blog posts again! I am back to a scheduled existence in one location, so it should be much easier to fit in weekly posts now. I have been experimenting with new recipes and will be sharing some of my favorites here. 

I also had a crazy summer full of traveling! In the past few months, I visited Alabama, Disney World, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, DC, Alabama, Japan, Tokyo Disney, and Hawaii. Looking at mileage alone, I more than circumnavigated the world in fewer than 80 days. This was never on my bucket list, but I am adding it now just because it's pretty fantastic. Warning: you will be super jet-lagged after a journey like this. I have a resulting two to three thousand photos to sort through; hopefully I will have some great ones to share with all of you! Look out for some exciting travel posts in the coming weeks.

And I am beginning another exciting phase of my life: I will be an AmeriCorps member for the 2014-2015 school year. I'll be helping K-3 students build their reading confidence and skills through a variety of one-on-one literacy interventions! Literacy is a cause I am extremely passionate about supporting and promoting. The ability to read is crucial for educational success, and everyone should be able to unlock the joy and opportunities that come from reading. Grad school has been on my mind lately, and I'm glad I'll have this year to interact with teachers, work with a reading specialist, and spend all day every day working on literacy interventions before I make the decision to go back to school. Also, this program comes with an education award to put towards future schooling. Anyway, you might see some posts about my AmeriCorps experience on here as well. In the meantime, I am so excited to start the school year and meet my students!

More coming soon.

Sarah

Summertime Salad

This sweet and simple salad will definitely have people asking for seconds! Seriously, my husband and I fought over who got to eat the last of the salad. Don't worry; we compromised, but we will now be making this as a regular weekly side. : )

 Ingredients:

-baby spinach
-broccoli slaw
-sliced almonds
-blue cheese crumbles
-low sugar craisins
-red wine vinaigrette dressing

Directions: Toss and enjoy!