WEEK 6: PROGRESS REPORT, NOW WITH BIRTHDAY!
Below is my original post, which is still worth reading. However, I did want to share a little about my first birthday in Japan! The day started like any other. Everyone else had to be at early breakfast to serve so I came afterwards. People realized it was my birthday so they wished me happy birthday like normal. In Japan birthday are not a big deal. So I worked a normal day, basically working on what I outline below. Everything was pretty normal up until about 5:00 PM when someone let it slip that people were coming over later. Then, Tyler and I went to play some ping pong. A few games in he got a message, looked confused, and started reading out loud. All I heard was “Can you keep Ru-…” That was all I needed to hear. But they still got me good. When we finally went back to our housing everything was dark, and as soon as I walked in everyone jumped out with little firecrackers. They had a great curry meal prepared, as well as a wonderful dessert. Thank you, NORTHSTAR family, for welcoming me so warmly into your arms. I know that with so many interns coming and going it can be difficult to have affection for the new interns. But I have felt right at home and really appreciate everyone’s kindness.
Now, for the rest of my original post…
It feels surreal to write this, but I am almost half way through my stay in Japan. So much has happened in these weeks, more than I have been able to share through my blog. However, one thing I have not shared much about is the work I came here to do. As a refresher, I have been working on some new icon designs for use on the new website as well as shooting a lot of photography of the camps and events we have come through.
Recently I have also started the very large task of writing copy for the new website. This, as well as the even bigger task of getting the website ready to go live, is scheduled to be finished by the end of this month. Thankfully Seth is doing most of the website building, though we often talk about it to work through the best way to do things.
The first and largest task I had these past few weeks was polishing and finishing the web icons. Seth and I went through about 3 revisions of the icons before settling on one design. Below are two of the set of 10 icons which will be used on the website. We have one more revision we must do which means showing them to the other full time staff and the director for their approval and opinion.
Mountain Activities
Handcrafts
The second, ongoing task is doing photography. Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the camps we had. The kids are fun and I enjoy getting to know them a little bit.
Another project I worked on was taking photographs of NORTHSTAR’s guest rooms. I enjoyed it because it was a genre I had never done before. Plus, it will show you what our guest rooms are like! They are all traditional Japanese style, which means you sleep on the floor on futon. There are wonderful comforters as well.
I can’t wait to share the finished website with you! Maybe it will even entice you to come to Japan! Seth and I are very grateful for your prayers as we work on these big projects and try to get them finished (or mostly finished) before I leave.