We're back and better than ever Super Bloggers Sterling and Alex

Oh man it’s been a long time since we wrote to everyone. We’re so sorry about that. It’s been pretty darn busy here. Both Alex and I have actually sat down numerous times with intentions of finishing a blog but something always comes up that required the attention of SUPER TEACHER!!!!!

I thought we’d do something a little different for the beginning of this blog. So I will now proceed to interview Alex.

SS: Hi Alex!
AH: (no reply)…. Good day, Sterling.
SS: Well you’re certainly looking good this afternoon.
AH: Why thank you, Sterling. I haven’t showered all day, and my hair is growing unchecked.
SS: Yes. You certainly have that “rugged Man” look going on. I have a few questions from the good people back home. Would you be a doll and answer them for us?
AH: Sure thing. Shoot.
SS: Well first of all Mrs. Hirata writes from Concord California asking why you haven’t written in so long.
AH: Well, Sterling. I wrote two days ago, and called her yesterday. Maybe that’s why. I want to know why she’s moved to Concord.
SS: Ah well it’s good to see you’re keeping in contact with the people back home. How heavily does that play a part in your day to day performance as a person and more importantly as a teacher?
AH: Well, support from home keeps me on my feet. I get good ideas and great motivation from the people back home. It plays a big part, to answer your question.
SS: Alrighty. I’ll go back to the letters. Ms. Mary Lou 19 from lovely Louisville Kentucky asks, “Please tell me who the real Alex Hirata is. What’s he like? What does he think out there living in such foreign conditions? And more importantly… will you marry me?
AH: He’s pretty much an okay, alright dude. To answer your second question, he thinks pretty much the same thoughts he thinks at home; he’s just in a new location, thinking them. But here they are. We work hard, we smell bad, we have fun. I miss people back home, but I know I’ll miss people here when I leave. It’s a sword with two edges. Also known as a double-edged sword. But I don’t feel as if I can never win. I’m having a good time, and I’m trying not to get too stuck on home. I want to make the most of my time here, so I don’t dwell too much on home. Who needs those people, anyway?
SS: Wow gentle readers I hope you appreciate what we have just read. We were just given a small look through a window into the mind of a genius and possibly the most important person of the twentieth century. Oh wait he has just informed me that it is now the twenty-first century. Hm… well why don’t you tell them all a little bit about what’s been going on here.
AH. Since the last time we posted, school has resumed. We’ve gone through three and a half weeks of teaching and testing since our three week H1N1 break. Sterling and I were caught off guard when we were surprise-informed that our kids had to take exams, each of which is worth forty percent of their grade. These exams marked the end of first quarter. Also, grades 1-5 are practicing for a Christmas program at the end of this new quarter. That should be fun. Sterling preached last Sabbath, filling in for the pastor, away for an important meeting. What about you? How come you get to ask all of the questions? My turn. Where are you right now, emotionally, physically, otherwise?
SS: hm… well the reason I got to ask all the questions is that I’m taller than you and therefore superior because I am closer to heaven. Also this is my computer. But I digest. I’ll answer physically first since that’s the easiest. At the moment I am sitting next to you at the table in our apartment living room. Our apartment is on the school campus and almost right next door to Alex’s classroom. My class however is on the other side of the campus and takes me about 5 minutes to walk to. This walk is why I am in much better shape than Alex. It’s cool because when it rains, which is does every other day (and not just little rain, I’m talking buckets and buckets of rain. If it were raining cats and dogs they’d drown before landing. That’s how hard it rains) I forgot why I was telling you that. Something about how I get soaked walking back to the apartment. Hm… emotionally, I’m doing pretty well. In the evenings I get to walk outside and look up at the sky. The sunsets here burn the clouds and the whole sky lights up in pinks and orange and red. This is one of the most beautiful places in the entire world and God has allowed me to spend a year here. I miss home but I miss the people more than anything. I don’t think I’d want to go back right now but I’d love if everyone was able to come here. There’s just something amazing about this island. So yeah… um otherwise… I’m pretty full. We just ate lunch and that’s usually the effect lunch has on someone… does that answer your question? Oh by the way Alex you forgot to answer Ms. Mary Lou’s last question and I think that was a very important and sincere one.
AH: Of course, of course. I have a return question. No? So Sterling, how have the last couple weeks been, schedule-wise? That was a terribly worded question. What have you been up to lately? Have you been busy, bored, what? I’m sure the readers are dying to know.
SS: Hm… well it’s very difficult and time consuming being this good looking. I spend about 4 hours a day in front of the mirror. That takes up most of my grading time so I don’t grade. Also sometimes it interferes with the silly schedule the school has set up for my teaching. So sometimes I bring a mirror into the class room and just stand in front of it for hours while the students are required to sit quietly at their desks doing nothing at all. NO NO NO I’m just kidding! Haha I can see I cracked you up Alex. For all the readers back home Alex is on the floor laughing because I am side splittingly funny and witty. Yes and very very humble. Well to answer the question. Last week was very hard for me. I lost my voice because I was pretty sick. That’s never very good for a teacher. So I taught very quietly for 4 days while my voice healed. The whole time I was praying that it would come back before Saturday which was when I was scheduled to speak for church. I also was trying to prepare my sermon which was on Love since love seems to be the main point of all that we do in life and the center of following God. After that, my time was taken writing exams which I was very afraid of my kids failing. But I think they did moderately fine… Alex tell us about your recent open water dive!
AH: To finish up a scuba certification class, some of the other SM’s and I had to do a final open water dive. Since Jan, the abominable dive-man, was taking us outside of the reef, Sterling and Katherine (two already-certified divers) opted to come with us. I refer to Sterling in the third person, even though he’s sitting right next to me. Back to the story. Jan, who is a super-stellar Belgian dude, boated us all the way across the island and outside of the reef. We all fell into the water and dived. Scuba dived. In the water. It was pretty cool, except the water was actually warm. So perhaps I need to use a new adjective. It was the ‘bees knees.’ Anyway, we saw sharks and fish and coral and water and other things you’d expect to see. It was fun just being underwater, actually. You could probably put me in an ocean-sized pool with some scuba gear, and I’d have the time of my life just being there. Your turn again, Sterling. Would you mind enlightening us on what you do for recreation?
SS: Well Alex I noticed that you failed to mention the part where you scuba dove right on top of my head with your super heavy metal scuba diver tank. Yeah well the bump on my head hasn’t forgotten and neither has Jesus. No I’m just kidding it wasn’t Alex’s fault. As for recreation, I enjoy long walks on the beach. Unfortunately we’re not allowed to go to any of the beached because they’re all private. So I have to settle for chasing chickens through the jungle armed with an air soft gun. Alex comes too. We also enjoy climbing coconut trees and stealing coconuts from them. We try to play basketball sometimes but we’re really really terrible at it. My sixth graders destroy me. If I wasn’t so tall I’d look like a complete fool. We used to ride bikes but then they broke and I’ve been trying to repair them but no one has parts for them. Oh and the reason Alex called Jan (pronounced Yon) the abominable dive-man is that he has lots of chest hair which is something Alex and I are very lacking in. I asked Alex to get us some chest hair growing tips from Jan but he was scared. I can understand why. A man with a plethora of chest hair can be quite intimidating. So Alex is there anything else you’d like to say before we leave this interview to do teacher stuff like grading and forgetting to grade?
AH: Indeed, good sir. I would like to thank—profusely—all of the people back home who send us packages and emails and other tangible forms of love. I feel like the only reason I’m floating is because of them. I’m struggling to teach and manage my class right now, but others always seem to lend me their strength. Thanks much for that. Also, I’d like to apologize for not keeping up with my contacts. I’ve been very lax in my communications recently. I’m trying to pick it up, so please bear with me. My last thought. Lean on God. Many people are going through problems, loss of friends and family, stresses with jobs, and other matters. Lean on people and lean on God. He saved me from terrible digestive problems after consuming too many onions with Sterling’s delicious homemade chili a few days ago. If He can do this for me, He can do anything. Again, thanks. As for Sterling. Are there any words he would like to impart to his fellow fellows back home?
SS: Yes. Sterling would love to say some stuff.
Um… Like Alex said I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who’s thinking of us and praying for us and writing to us and sending stuff to us and doing nice things for us and all those awesome things. I can’t express how much it means to both of us. It can get pretty lonely out here and yet we constantly get reminded that there’s people who care about us and love us.
Speaking of love. I’d like all of you to go to your bibles and read 1 Corinthians 13. It may be your hundredth time reading or it may be your first but I think its super awesome. But don’t read it in a King James Bible. It just sounds silly in that thing using charity instead of love. I guess the British way back in King James time didn’t know how to love. But anyway, read through it. Both Alex and I have done worships on it lately and I like how Alex said that God is love so when you read through Corinthians and you see what love is like, you see the face of God. To me this is the meaning of everything we do and the basis of God’s relationship with us. It’s all about Love.

Now Alex and I wanted to sing you a song but you can’t sing over a blog… so anyway we’re writing you a song from the wonderful prophets from so many years ago. The Beatles. Who once said, All you need is love. Haha that was a super corny ending. SWEET! HOLLA! Bye bye