A Change of Season

Christmas was a season that I looked forward to as a child: snow, toboganning, ice skating, Christmas trees, decorations, the promise of Santa's visit, carols, the Christmas story, and oranges.  Oh yes, the oranges!  I can remember anxiously waiting for mandarin oranges to hit the stores and for mom to buy the first box.  We were always rationed to one a day (if we were lucky two).  If we were really lucky, mom would buy Japanese mandarin oranges rather than cheaper Chinese, and if this was the case, it was certainly only one a day!   Now, 20+ years later, I am in Japan, surrounded by mandarin orange trees.  I can literally pick them off the trees (though I have not done this as the trees are in people's private yards).  If you think the mandarins you have tried are good, you have got to try one that has not travelled thousands of miles to meet you!  Simply delicious.

Steve and I always missed a change of seasons while living in Kuwait.  The biggest season change in Kuwait is the temperature dropping to a more tolerable degree, the dust subsiding, and a few flowers appearing on some trees.  Now that we are in Japan, we realize now how much we missed having a season change.  We are into autumn, and the Japanese maples are turning a fire red, other leaves are turning yellow, and the roses are in full bloom.  I have never seen so many different kinds of roses.  Each day the oranges on the trees turn a little more orange and a few more leaves have fallen to the ground.  Although the mornings are chilly, by afternoon the sun is shining and we are running around with no jackets.  I think this might be the second best time to visit Japan (Spring being the best) for those non teacher friends planning a visit (hint hint).