Scrapbooking Online Class - Part 3

These are the 2 lay outs I did for Week 3 of the Deep Journaling class I took. I want to do a little more embellishing on the first one, but have not had time to do it yet. I usually save embellishments for very last.
My reason for doing the 2nd lay out about Yusuke and the very first time I saw him is because during the class, the teacher showed an example of a page that highlighted a "pivotal moment" in her life. I thought the idea of scrapbooking about pivotal moments would be a great idea and nice addition to one of my albums. After that, I made a list of "pivotal moments" in my life and looked for photos that would represent them. This is the first one of the series. I plan to do more in the next few months.



Journaling for "Ailin no Mama"
When you put your arms around my legs and say “Ailin no mama!”, what are you feeling?
Everyone knows I am your mama.
When I drop you off at day care, and other kids come to the door to greet us, you sometimes do this. Is it out of pride? Ownership?
When I pick you up at the end of the day and you run towards me smiling and giggling, you sometimes do this. Are you proud to show me off?
But other times, after a long weekend or holiday, when I drop you off, you wrap your arms around me and say, “Ailin no mama!” Are you sad? Do you want to stay home with Mama?
At home, when we are playing happily, you sometimes turn to me and wrap your arms around my neck with a gleeful “Ailin no mama!” Are you joyful?
No matter what you might be feeling, I am proud to be your mama. I am not just someone’s mother, I am Ailin’s Mama, and hearing you shout it out, whether joyfully, possessively, sadly…this gives me a reason to love my life.




Journaling for "April 1993, 16 years old"
It was a spring day early in the new school year. I was sitting in my new classroom, 2A-gumi, in the second row from the door, the 3rd seat.
It was English class, and our teacher, Kenzo Matsumoto, was asking students to go up front and write the Japanese translations for the English words on the board. It was for my benefit. I was supposed to be copying them down in my notebook.
He called on someone, but I didn’t catch the name. The boy seemed to be hesitant because Kenzo chided him, “Come on. Get up there and write it on the board, please. Hurry up.”
The boy was sitting in the 1st row, somewhere behind me. He slowly made his way up to the board, and wrote the word out – deliberately, hard – the chalk squeaked.
He turned and faced the class. We didn’t make eye contact, but I watched him as he walked back to his seat. I turned my head to watch him as he sat down and, for the first time, I saw his face.
That moment.
That face.
He seemed cold-shouldered. In Japanese, they say “tsumetai.”
I never liked boys who were cold-shouldered. My type was usually the class clown – out-going, transparent guys.
But, that reluctance. That deliberate, hard writing on the chalkboard. That face.
That was the moment my life changed. I forgot about my current crushes, my past heartbreaks.
I just knew that, if nothing else, I had to get to know him.