Dear friends and family,
I regret to say that the end is here. Two days from now I'll be back in good old Utah. Truthfully, I'm not really ready for it . . . Sadly my last week in Japan has been a serious mix of good and bad. This email will be kind of long, sorry.
This week I had my final test in Japanese. I studied like CRAZY for about 3 days before. I really wanted to do well on it so I spent every spare moment in my books. Even the morning of the test I was up early studying. My brain was so full I realized I couldn't think Japanese clearly so I stopped studying and rested for about 2 hours before the test. Luckily all that studying served me well. I couldn't remember certain things but my subconscious did and I was able to pass the test with 79/100. Yatta! I said my final goodbye to Dan and Brett before my test. Dan and I agreed that we will probably see each other again, in Japan, someday.
Thursday, the day of my final test, Akane planned a farewell party and we ended up having about 25 people attending. A bunch of the exchange students came and tons of our Japanese tutors and friends. Also, many of the tutors received emails regarding their study abroad interviews. Akane passed! We were all so excited and come to find out Norihiro had received an email as well. He refused to open it though. He said he didn't want the night to be ruined if he wasn't picked to do study abroad. He promised me that he would open it with me later. He said he wanted to do it when we were alone. So I waited, very impatiently. We went to BBQ to have dinner. It was a lot of fun but, unfortunately, the night was far from perfect due to Hiroki ruining it. He REALLY dislikes me as he's started to sense mine and Norihiro's relationship so the whole night he was making fun of me and being abusive. Many of the girls were getting annoyed with him on my behalf. I yelled at him around the end of dinner, after he stuck his lighter in my face a few times, very close to my skin. He wouldn't stop so I ended up swearing at him and Norihiro quickly came to my rescue and pushed Hiroki away from me. After that we went to a bar and made reservations at a Karaoke place for around 10. Many people had tests coming up so they had to leave. I had some teary goodbyes, especially with Ayari (Louis's girlfriend) who is such a sweety and one of my language partners, Taisuke, who is so kind. He they both hugged me and when we pulled away we had tears in our eyes. It was really difficult to say goodbye to everyone. Final goodbye with Louis at the bar. As we were going to karaoke many people decided to leave and, Akane told me, it was due to Hiroki. (I found out the next day that while walking to the bar he had bumped into an elderly woman and ended up screaming at her and telling her to F-off in Japanese. No one bothered to tell me this at the time but that was way so many people were angry with him.) Norihiro and I wanted to spend time together though so we choose to go to karaoke, which proved a bad decision. But by the time we realized we should have just left the last train was just minutes away and we wouldn't have made it. So we ended up staying in the karaoke box until 6 AM. Luckily it wasn't all horrible at Karaoke, there were 11 of us so some of the time was a lot of fun. But Hiroki was there and true to his nature. Around 4:30 a few of us had fallen asleep while others kept singing. I woke up to see Hiroki cuddling Norihiro's sleeping body as well as make some REALLY crude sexual gestures over Norihiro. Norihiro woke up to see it too and I had the satisfaction of watching my boyfriend punch Hiroki on top of the head, twice, in a very Japanese like fashion. After this happened I went to the bathroom. When I had come back Hiroki and Norihiro was sitting VERY far apart (which is out of character for Hiroki as he normally is either clinging to Norihiro or very nearby) and there was distinct anger between them. Norihiro had terminated their friendship and Hiroki was furious. The night soon ended, with Ismail being completely drunk and Madison vanishing without his coat or cell phone. So everyone was true to their characters. But I was sad because Norihiro was angry and hadn't had any fun because of Hiroki's behavior. I felt kind of sad for Hiroki because when I first met him he was so kind to me. But slowly, over the semester, I've come to see he's really not a nice person. The night of the farewell party he lost many friends. The last time I saw Sheng was on the train, we both agreed that we're sad to leave Japan.
The next day, Friday, Sarah planned dinner with some of the exchange students and two of the Japanese tutors, Norihiro being one of them. So Norihiro and I met up early and went to Nanba, which is near Shinsai Bashi. While we were waiting for a train I was able to convince Norihiro to open his email. He finally did and all he said when he saw it was: "I passed". We just grabbed each other and hugged and I realized he really had been scared he would fail because his heart was beating so hard from relief! We were so happy! So in the Fall Norihiro will be attending Snow College :) Before meeting for dinner Norihiro took me to Ottaku Lane which is a road full of nerdy Japanese fan shops, Anime, Manga, figurines, and Maid Cafe's. It was really funny and we had a good time together. I ended up asking about Hiroki and that's when I found out Hiroki has yelled at an old woman. Norihiro said that Hiroki is just too troublesome and he doesn't want to be friends with him. I was relieved of course but it really made my day when Norihiro said he also didn't want to see my sad face due to Hiroki anymore either. While we were walking to meet up with Sarah Norihiro got a disturbing phone call from Maho, the other Japanese partner who was coming to dinner. Hiroki had found out about our dinner plans and invited himself! Norihiro told her plainly, I understood him, that he, Sarah, and I dislike Hiroki. He told her that if Hiroki comes we will leave. Luckily Ismail was with Maho and was able to explain to him that we would leave. But Hiroki, being the jerk that he is, said he didn't care if we all left he was coming anyways. They were able to get him to leave but, later during dinner, he text Maho to say he was in Shinsai Bashi and wanted to know where we were. Norihiro advised her to ignore the email and she did. Sadly, Ismail was true to his usual character as well this night. He got WAY too drunk and ended up furious at Maho for not being willing to go out with him one-on-one after we were all going home. He ended up yelling at her and swearing which made her cry and made all of us mad. So my final day with Ismail was negative as well, sadly. He and I had become pretty good friends so I'm sad to see such a bad side of him on my last visit with him. I had a final goodbye with U-chan, Fefe, and Xay after dinner.
Sunday, today, I had lunch with Sarah and her host family. We planned a final visit before both Sarah and I leave (Sarah will be coming back but I won't). Sarah and I played with the little girls for a few hours and we all ate cake. It was a lot of fun as I haven't been around little kids this whole time and I realized how much I miss it. Sarah's family was very sad I'm leaving and made me origami as a farewell present. Her host mom is absolutely so wonderful and kind. I was really sad to say goodbye to them. As Sarah and I walked to the station she took my hand because we were both so sad to be parting. At the station we turned to say goodbye and both of us had to take a deep breath before hugging because it was really difficult. She was my best girl friend here and has been nothing but perfectly wonderful and kind from day one. We both said that our time in Japan would have been completely different and not as good without the other one. Sarah is the first one that it was REALLY difficult to say goodbye to. I cried my eyes out, which made people stare at us even more since we both were crying at the train station. We promised to meet again soon. Sarah is the last exchange student I said goodbye to and the most difficult one to part with.
I've cried more times in my final two weeks in Japan then the 4 months before combined. . . Goodbyes are impossibly hard. Some of these people I know I will never see again and that is just too much to bear.
Tomorrow I'll be having lunch with Ooki chan and some of her students as a small farewell party. Tuesday I'll be taking a bus to the airport with Norihiro, Akane, and Tomi, to spend my last few hours in Japan with them. I'm hoping to have a REALLY big cry, in my bed, alone, the day before so that I can try to keep it together at the airport. It's just too sad to say goodbye to these three! I have really loved spending time with all of them and will miss them like crazy. At 6 PM, I'll be up in the air and returning to America. Sadly, January 31st will be one of the most difficult days of my life and, due to the time difference, I'll be living that day twice. I'm leaving Japan at 6 PM January 31st and landing the US at 4 PM January 31st.
Luckily, while organizing my things to pack, I found my cell phone charger, so I won't be running blind when I'm back in the US. I knew I couldn't be so beautiful and smart for nothing ;) lol just teasing.
Sorry that my final email was VERY long and kind of strange. I look forward to seeing you all again. Although I'm sad to return I'm very happy to see all your faces. I can't wait to hug you all and, yes, with my high emotions right now, I might just cry when I see you all again. Love you all forever! See you in a few days :)
Sayonara Nihon!
Taleah
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Ice Skating and Fishing in Round One
Hello you guys,
Well, my days in Japan are numbered and if that hasn't spoiled my mood then I don't know what will. I'm in my last two weeks . . . but I don't want to talk about it anymore.
Not much has happened, just school and hanging out a lot. Earlier this week we all had to give a presentation on any topic of our choosing, in Japanese, in front of all the Sensei, the office staff, and any of the tutors or friends that wanted to come. There ended up being about 30 people there and it was terrifying! My topic was about experiencing being Japanese in the Kansai area. I seriously practiced my script, with the slideshow I made, a million times. I had it down packed! And then I got up there, started my speech, got a few sentences in, and stumbled on one word . . . and for the life of me I couldn't remember how to say it . . . nor could I remember how to read the Japanese alphabet with 30 Japanese people starring at me! I attempted it a few times and then finally just mumbled my way past it, saying it all wrong which, unfortunately was a key word in the sentence so it probably made no sense after I messed up. It doesn't matter now and I ended up doing well, after the mess up. People got to ask us questions afterwards and I'm glad to say I was able to understand very clearly two of the three and answer without hesitation. One of the questions I had to get clarification on but I answered it right away after I understood. It sucked though because as soon as I sat down I remembered how to say the word I forgot lol. Also, because my adrenalin was rushing, I suddenly felt completely exhausted and was shaking. I never want to give a presentation in another language again! lol
Yesterday, Saturday, I hung out with Akane, Tomi, and Norihiro. (Since I'm leaving soon my next week is completely packed with plans and activities. I probably won't have one spare moment until I'm on the airplane home.) We went ice skating which was so much fun because I've never been. I'm very happy to say I didn't fall once! And not because I just stood there, I got ok at being able to skate around. Tomi and Norihiro are both pretty good at it and can go fast, Akane and I stumbled around a bit at first, screaming at ever misstep when our feet would slide, it was funny. At one point I was skating alone and skated past two middle aged guys who, when they saw me called out to me. The both skated up to me, really fast and skillfully, and so I stopped to hold the side. They asked me, in Japanese, "You're not Japanese?" and I answered that I wasn't. "You're an exchange student?" I said I was and told them I was studying Japanese. "What university?" I told them Otemon Gakuin. One of them asked where that was and the other told him in Ibaraki. I confirmed it was Ibaraki. They asked me where I was from and I said the US. One of them then asked if I was from the East coast or the West coast. I told him west and said Utah. He said he had been to Utah before and I asked where. He said Ephraim. I got really excited and told him that that was my town. He told me he attended Snow college 20 years ago! I was shocked! Around that time Akane, Tomi, and Norihiro meet up with us and I excitedly told Akane, in English, that he had gone to Snow College. She was just as surprised as me and we all got excited and were really surprised by the coincidence. Norihiro said he wanted to attend Snow College next year and the man told him that he should go because it's beautiful. He said there is a lot of snow and mountains. He then asked me if I was LDS which further surprised me because usually people say "Mormon". I told him I was. He said that LDS people are very kind. Around that time two little kids skated up to us REALLY skillfully and the man who went to Snow College said that the boy was his son and the girl was the other mans daughter. We talked to them for a little while and then continued to skate. Later, the man who didn't go to Snow College, skated past me, turned around backwards, and held out his hand. It looked like he wanted to shake my hand so I took it, he then started skating around the rink really fast with me in tow. It was a lot of fun and Akane took pictures. The two kids ended up coming and talking with us again and we played with them a little and laughed a lot. By the time we left I felt like we had made new friends and said goodbye to them.
After Skating we had ramen for lunch and then went to Round One. We bought a pass, for about 2,000 yen ($20 ish) where we could do many things for about 8 hours. We played pool, rode little motorcycles around a ring, played arcade games, ping pong, darts, did Karaoke, tennis, soccar, and even fishing. The fishing is what I want to tell you about. They have a little pool of Coy fish. They provide bate and poles with hooks that have the barbs cut off. The hooks are still sharp but, if you catch a fish, the hook comes out easily so the fish will live and you put it back. Tomi was fishing and Akane, Norihiro, and I were taking turns playing ping pong against a computer that shoots the balls out at you. We heard Tomi screaming Akane's name really loudly and excitedly and ran to the fishing pool in time to see Tomi holding up the biggest fish in the pool! He was freaking out and we all started laughing and he and Norihiro excitedly pulled the fish out of the pool with a net. The fish was HUGE! Nobody wanted to touch the fish though so they ran to get someone to pull the hook out. I worried that the fish would die so I put it back in the water with the net holding it. A man came and helped us take care of the fish and that was that. But it was so funny and for the rest of the night we kept laughing about Tomi catching a fish. We tried to fish again but no luck. I think Tomi had a REALLY lucky chance because, without barbs on the hooks, it was impossible to catch a fish. The day was really fun and I got home around 1 AM, exhausted.
My next week is full of activities and tests and then I'll be flying home. I'll send one more email next Sunday to you all. I hope you're well. Love you guys!
Well, my days in Japan are numbered and if that hasn't spoiled my mood then I don't know what will. I'm in my last two weeks . . . but I don't want to talk about it anymore.
Not much has happened, just school and hanging out a lot. Earlier this week we all had to give a presentation on any topic of our choosing, in Japanese, in front of all the Sensei, the office staff, and any of the tutors or friends that wanted to come. There ended up being about 30 people there and it was terrifying! My topic was about experiencing being Japanese in the Kansai area. I seriously practiced my script, with the slideshow I made, a million times. I had it down packed! And then I got up there, started my speech, got a few sentences in, and stumbled on one word . . . and for the life of me I couldn't remember how to say it . . . nor could I remember how to read the Japanese alphabet with 30 Japanese people starring at me! I attempted it a few times and then finally just mumbled my way past it, saying it all wrong which, unfortunately was a key word in the sentence so it probably made no sense after I messed up. It doesn't matter now and I ended up doing well, after the mess up. People got to ask us questions afterwards and I'm glad to say I was able to understand very clearly two of the three and answer without hesitation. One of the questions I had to get clarification on but I answered it right away after I understood. It sucked though because as soon as I sat down I remembered how to say the word I forgot lol. Also, because my adrenalin was rushing, I suddenly felt completely exhausted and was shaking. I never want to give a presentation in another language again! lol
Yesterday, Saturday, I hung out with Akane, Tomi, and Norihiro. (Since I'm leaving soon my next week is completely packed with plans and activities. I probably won't have one spare moment until I'm on the airplane home.) We went ice skating which was so much fun because I've never been. I'm very happy to say I didn't fall once! And not because I just stood there, I got ok at being able to skate around. Tomi and Norihiro are both pretty good at it and can go fast, Akane and I stumbled around a bit at first, screaming at ever misstep when our feet would slide, it was funny. At one point I was skating alone and skated past two middle aged guys who, when they saw me called out to me. The both skated up to me, really fast and skillfully, and so I stopped to hold the side. They asked me, in Japanese, "You're not Japanese?" and I answered that I wasn't. "You're an exchange student?" I said I was and told them I was studying Japanese. "What university?" I told them Otemon Gakuin. One of them asked where that was and the other told him in Ibaraki. I confirmed it was Ibaraki. They asked me where I was from and I said the US. One of them then asked if I was from the East coast or the West coast. I told him west and said Utah. He said he had been to Utah before and I asked where. He said Ephraim. I got really excited and told him that that was my town. He told me he attended Snow college 20 years ago! I was shocked! Around that time Akane, Tomi, and Norihiro meet up with us and I excitedly told Akane, in English, that he had gone to Snow College. She was just as surprised as me and we all got excited and were really surprised by the coincidence. Norihiro said he wanted to attend Snow College next year and the man told him that he should go because it's beautiful. He said there is a lot of snow and mountains. He then asked me if I was LDS which further surprised me because usually people say "Mormon". I told him I was. He said that LDS people are very kind. Around that time two little kids skated up to us REALLY skillfully and the man who went to Snow College said that the boy was his son and the girl was the other mans daughter. We talked to them for a little while and then continued to skate. Later, the man who didn't go to Snow College, skated past me, turned around backwards, and held out his hand. It looked like he wanted to shake my hand so I took it, he then started skating around the rink really fast with me in tow. It was a lot of fun and Akane took pictures. The two kids ended up coming and talking with us again and we played with them a little and laughed a lot. By the time we left I felt like we had made new friends and said goodbye to them.
After Skating we had ramen for lunch and then went to Round One. We bought a pass, for about 2,000 yen ($20 ish) where we could do many things for about 8 hours. We played pool, rode little motorcycles around a ring, played arcade games, ping pong, darts, did Karaoke, tennis, soccar, and even fishing. The fishing is what I want to tell you about. They have a little pool of Coy fish. They provide bate and poles with hooks that have the barbs cut off. The hooks are still sharp but, if you catch a fish, the hook comes out easily so the fish will live and you put it back. Tomi was fishing and Akane, Norihiro, and I were taking turns playing ping pong against a computer that shoots the balls out at you. We heard Tomi screaming Akane's name really loudly and excitedly and ran to the fishing pool in time to see Tomi holding up the biggest fish in the pool! He was freaking out and we all started laughing and he and Norihiro excitedly pulled the fish out of the pool with a net. The fish was HUGE! Nobody wanted to touch the fish though so they ran to get someone to pull the hook out. I worried that the fish would die so I put it back in the water with the net holding it. A man came and helped us take care of the fish and that was that. But it was so funny and for the rest of the night we kept laughing about Tomi catching a fish. We tried to fish again but no luck. I think Tomi had a REALLY lucky chance because, without barbs on the hooks, it was impossible to catch a fish. The day was really fun and I got home around 1 AM, exhausted.
My next week is full of activities and tests and then I'll be flying home. I'll send one more email next Sunday to you all. I hope you're well. Love you guys!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Time is running out!
Hey you guys,
Sorry it's been a while since I've sent a good email. Things here are good. Not been up to much, just studying, hanging out with friends, and laughing with my host family.
Recently, which will probably be no surprise to anyone, I decided I wanted to return to Otemon in the Spring with Ron and do another semester here. I talked to Fukuda san, one of the main guys in the Otemon International office, as well as emailed Snow's International office Director, Sam. Fukuda was really eager for me to come back and gave me a lot of really nice complements about my behavior here. So he and Sam have been working things out to see if it's possible. I explained to both of them that the only thing holding me back would be finances as it cost me about $7,000-$8,000 to come here. I was keeping the info of me wanting to return on the down low, in case it didn't work out, but unfortunately Fukuda san gave me some information update in front of Norihiro, so he found out. He then got really excited and, for a few days, kept telling me to come back. He even started singing to me on the bus, quietly, a random song about coming back lol. Unfortunately, the Financial Aid office FINALLY responded to my email about my eligibility to apply for more student loans and I can't. To make matters worse, I got this email and calculated my finances right before Norihiro came over to my house to hang out. He was there when reality, that I can't afford to come back, hit. I tried to play it cool and be happy but he could see I was really upset. He asked me "Daijobu?" (Are you ok?) I answered "Hai, daijobu." (Yes, I'm ok) but he insisted I wasn't and gave me a big hug. I then started to cry which upset him a lot. So he held me while I shed a few tears, maybe my first good cry in Japan. After I finished crying we watched a movie, ate some takoyaki, and had a lot of fun, but with a distinct underlying of sadness. He promised to meet me at Snow College next year.
Today I emailed Sam to let him know it wouldn't work out. He emailed me back and asked me to wait until Wednesday to tell Fukuda san. He said he was going to attend a meeting Wednesday morning and there might be a solution for me to come back. So, despite SOME OF YOU hating the idea of me returning please send prayers, good vibes, and love (whichever you believe in) into the universe for me. I hope to have a resolution on Wednesday. . . I don't have much hope but it would make my year to come back for another semester, especially to experience Japan with Ron :)
Some good news: The woman who taught me how to tie a Kimono left me a present the other day. I came home to find a Kimono that she was giving me! Not only that but a red Obi, and the two Yukata (summer Kimonos) she is giving me as well! I was so happy! As a thank you, the day before I leave, I will make pasta and Ooki chan is inviting many of her students. Most of her students have taken an English lesson from me and given me presents so I'm happy to cook for them. So I'll be coming home with some fantastic Kimono's which I will randomly wear around the house because they are pretty :)
Other then that, not much to tell. I'm doing well and dreading leaving. As well as dreading my final test and the presentation I have to give, in Japanese, to all my teachers and the other students. . . wish me luck! It's this Thursday . . . SCARY!
Love and miss you all! I'll see you all soon!
Taleah
P.S. My flight should be arriving in Salt Lake City, January 31st, around 4 PM. Who wants to be the lucky kid who comes and picks me, and my three big suitcases, up? I'm guessing either Mom or Naomi, with Tamirrah and who knows who else. Someone let me know though. I don't have a phone charger here so I'll be running blind . . . hopefully you can find me :)
Sorry it's been a while since I've sent a good email. Things here are good. Not been up to much, just studying, hanging out with friends, and laughing with my host family.
Recently, which will probably be no surprise to anyone, I decided I wanted to return to Otemon in the Spring with Ron and do another semester here. I talked to Fukuda san, one of the main guys in the Otemon International office, as well as emailed Snow's International office Director, Sam. Fukuda was really eager for me to come back and gave me a lot of really nice complements about my behavior here. So he and Sam have been working things out to see if it's possible. I explained to both of them that the only thing holding me back would be finances as it cost me about $7,000-$8,000 to come here. I was keeping the info of me wanting to return on the down low, in case it didn't work out, but unfortunately Fukuda san gave me some information update in front of Norihiro, so he found out. He then got really excited and, for a few days, kept telling me to come back. He even started singing to me on the bus, quietly, a random song about coming back lol. Unfortunately, the Financial Aid office FINALLY responded to my email about my eligibility to apply for more student loans and I can't. To make matters worse, I got this email and calculated my finances right before Norihiro came over to my house to hang out. He was there when reality, that I can't afford to come back, hit. I tried to play it cool and be happy but he could see I was really upset. He asked me "Daijobu?" (Are you ok?) I answered "Hai, daijobu." (Yes, I'm ok) but he insisted I wasn't and gave me a big hug. I then started to cry which upset him a lot. So he held me while I shed a few tears, maybe my first good cry in Japan. After I finished crying we watched a movie, ate some takoyaki, and had a lot of fun, but with a distinct underlying of sadness. He promised to meet me at Snow College next year.
Today I emailed Sam to let him know it wouldn't work out. He emailed me back and asked me to wait until Wednesday to tell Fukuda san. He said he was going to attend a meeting Wednesday morning and there might be a solution for me to come back. So, despite SOME OF YOU hating the idea of me returning please send prayers, good vibes, and love (whichever you believe in) into the universe for me. I hope to have a resolution on Wednesday. . . I don't have much hope but it would make my year to come back for another semester, especially to experience Japan with Ron :)
Some good news: The woman who taught me how to tie a Kimono left me a present the other day. I came home to find a Kimono that she was giving me! Not only that but a red Obi, and the two Yukata (summer Kimonos) she is giving me as well! I was so happy! As a thank you, the day before I leave, I will make pasta and Ooki chan is inviting many of her students. Most of her students have taken an English lesson from me and given me presents so I'm happy to cook for them. So I'll be coming home with some fantastic Kimono's which I will randomly wear around the house because they are pretty :)
Other then that, not much to tell. I'm doing well and dreading leaving. As well as dreading my final test and the presentation I have to give, in Japanese, to all my teachers and the other students. . . wish me luck! It's this Thursday . . . SCARY!
Love and miss you all! I'll see you all soon!
Taleah
P.S. My flight should be arriving in Salt Lake City, January 31st, around 4 PM. Who wants to be the lucky kid who comes and picks me, and my three big suitcases, up? I'm guessing either Mom or Naomi, with Tamirrah and who knows who else. Someone let me know though. I don't have a phone charger here so I'll be running blind . . . hopefully you can find me :)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Years! 2012!
Hey everyone,
It's actually January 2nd here so my email and New Years greetings are a little late. Hope you don't mind.
Since I last wrote I really haven't done anything at all. It's been very relaxing. I've hung out with my host family and Norihiro. Norihiro and I wanted a lot of movies this week in our free time, one of them being The Shining which he's been asking me to watch with him since I met him. I think Tamirrah and I should dress up as the little girls next Halloween and freak out everyone on Snow Campus lol. I've studied a bit and been reading the last book for my Japanese Literature Class which is over 600 pages and really confusing. So yeah . . . I'll tell you about my New Years.
New Years Eve Norihiro invited me to hang out. He had some plans with Hiroki to go to a temple. I went to his house and we waited for Hiroki to arrive, he's always late. So he showed up late, as usual and then ended up relaxing in Norihiro's room. Yamamuro san, Norihiro's Mom, cooked us Soba noodles to celebrate the New Years and I spent some time with everyone talking and laughing. I also helped Norihiro with some of his paperwork for study abroad.
When we left Norihiro's house Hiroki wanted to go to Ikea before the temple to buy a bookshelf. Since it was still pretty early we went a long. Also since Hiroki was driving me didn't have much say. But our plans still stood that we were to meet a few of the other boys in Umeda at 11:30 and go to a nearby temple. So we went to Ikea, walked around for over an hour, and Hiroki bought a candle. . .He then wanted to go to his house for something, which I couldn't really understand why. So we drove PAST Umeda to get back to Hiroki's house. Then we stayed there. . . waiting . . . while we met his family and drank some coffee. Norihiro, being the under classman, couldn't really say anything but as the clock started ticking closer to the time we should leave finally, very politely, asked Hiroki if we should go. Hiroki ignored him until the third time Norihiro asked. We ended up leaving the house at 11:15 and, much to mine and Norihiro's surprise, DIDN'T take Hiroki's car. He expected us to run quickly to the station and catch a train to Umeda and be there on time. We ran for a little while but I stopped and refused to run, since Norihiro isn't supposed to run. He could die for crying out loud. Since I stopped Norihiro also stopped. We got to the station at 11:30 and waited for the train. I've never seen Norihiro mad before but he was seriously annoyed with Hiroki. On the train he told me "I don't want to spend my New Years on a train". He explained that normally for New Years he goes to Nagoya, his home town, and spends it with his grandfather. New Years is very important to Norihiro I realized and, unfortunately, we arrived in Umeda and had enough time to get off the train and down the escalator and then it was midnight. So, we didn't spend New Years on a train but we spent it in a deserted station while everyone else in Japan was at temples. Hiroki apologized but, his apologizes are always very sarcastic and not really sincere. He patted Norihiro's back and said, in English, "sorry" with a little laugh. Norihiro said, in very clear and cut English: "Don't touch me".
We met up with Brett and Madison (two of the Aussie boys) and went to a tiny temple near the station, which was completely packed with people and so small that it wasn't really special. Norihiro's mood was so spoiled, he was severely disappointed, that he didn't really want to do anything at that point. I was really let down as well. I'm in Japan and, on the greatest holiday of the year, I spent it inside a train station, because of Hiroki. We did our best to cheer each other up and have a good time while, more or less, avoiding the reality of Hiroki's existence. We would look at Hiroki and say "Redrum" and laugh (thank you Shining!). Norihiro said to me, when no one else was around, "I should have spent New Years with only you." He and I always have a good time, plus we're not usually late for things. I promised him that next year we could have a fun New Years, in the US, and he agreed.
We met up with Ismail later and went to a restaurant and stayed there until around 4 AM. The boys all drank a ton, besides Norihiro and Ismail, and were having a great time. By the end of the night Norihiro was much happier, at least with everyone except Hiroki, and the night ended well. We all took trains at 5:20 AM to head for home. Unfortunately I ended up on the train with only the other foreigners and Brett and Madison were so drunk I was worried they wouldn't be able to make it home. Ismail and I were talking and Brett asked us a question and when Madison didn't like our responses he ended up screaming at us, insulting us, calling us names, and swearing at us. I told him to stop personally attacking me but when he didn't and continued to be a complete inbreed moron I told him to go "F" himself and walked to the other end of the train car. Ismail stayed but defended me and chewed Madison out for talking to me like that, which I really appreciated. Of course it did no good because Madison is an absolute narrow minded idiot without consideration for anyone and in his own mind can do no wrong. But I didn't let it bother me because I remembered that no one likes him :) My New Years was, overall, just ok.
Yesterday, the 1st, I went to Oniisan's mother's house with the family. Masato, Ooki chan and Oniisan's san is in town so it was a big family get together, which I was invited too as well. We ate SO much food and I took a 3 hour nap on a heated rug and woke to eat more food. It felt like Christmas and Thanksgiving rolled together. Today we're doing it again, but with Ooki chan's family. I sure do love this holiday!
Tomorrow, the 3rd, Norihiro and I have plans. Not sure what but he mentioned possibly going to an indoor rock climbing place and a hot spring. We'll see :)
Sorry my email is spastic. I've been going to bed around 3-5 AM the last two nights and waking up in the afternoon so I feel a little crazy. Hopefully I can go to sleep at a normal hour tonight and try to regulate because I feel like I'm on a sugar rush right now.
I hope you all had a great New Years. Happy 2012! For me, 2011 was one of the best years of my life. Good things happened and one of my greatest dreams, to come to Japan, came true. It was the year of the rabbit, which also happens to be the year I was born so, naturally, it was a lucky year for me. Hopefully 2012 brings wonderful things as well. I wish the best for all of you in this new year! Love you!
It's actually January 2nd here so my email and New Years greetings are a little late. Hope you don't mind.
Since I last wrote I really haven't done anything at all. It's been very relaxing. I've hung out with my host family and Norihiro. Norihiro and I wanted a lot of movies this week in our free time, one of them being The Shining which he's been asking me to watch with him since I met him. I think Tamirrah and I should dress up as the little girls next Halloween and freak out everyone on Snow Campus lol. I've studied a bit and been reading the last book for my Japanese Literature Class which is over 600 pages and really confusing. So yeah . . . I'll tell you about my New Years.
New Years Eve Norihiro invited me to hang out. He had some plans with Hiroki to go to a temple. I went to his house and we waited for Hiroki to arrive, he's always late. So he showed up late, as usual and then ended up relaxing in Norihiro's room. Yamamuro san, Norihiro's Mom, cooked us Soba noodles to celebrate the New Years and I spent some time with everyone talking and laughing. I also helped Norihiro with some of his paperwork for study abroad.
When we left Norihiro's house Hiroki wanted to go to Ikea before the temple to buy a bookshelf. Since it was still pretty early we went a long. Also since Hiroki was driving me didn't have much say. But our plans still stood that we were to meet a few of the other boys in Umeda at 11:30 and go to a nearby temple. So we went to Ikea, walked around for over an hour, and Hiroki bought a candle. . .He then wanted to go to his house for something, which I couldn't really understand why. So we drove PAST Umeda to get back to Hiroki's house. Then we stayed there. . . waiting . . . while we met his family and drank some coffee. Norihiro, being the under classman, couldn't really say anything but as the clock started ticking closer to the time we should leave finally, very politely, asked Hiroki if we should go. Hiroki ignored him until the third time Norihiro asked. We ended up leaving the house at 11:15 and, much to mine and Norihiro's surprise, DIDN'T take Hiroki's car. He expected us to run quickly to the station and catch a train to Umeda and be there on time. We ran for a little while but I stopped and refused to run, since Norihiro isn't supposed to run. He could die for crying out loud. Since I stopped Norihiro also stopped. We got to the station at 11:30 and waited for the train. I've never seen Norihiro mad before but he was seriously annoyed with Hiroki. On the train he told me "I don't want to spend my New Years on a train". He explained that normally for New Years he goes to Nagoya, his home town, and spends it with his grandfather. New Years is very important to Norihiro I realized and, unfortunately, we arrived in Umeda and had enough time to get off the train and down the escalator and then it was midnight. So, we didn't spend New Years on a train but we spent it in a deserted station while everyone else in Japan was at temples. Hiroki apologized but, his apologizes are always very sarcastic and not really sincere. He patted Norihiro's back and said, in English, "sorry" with a little laugh. Norihiro said, in very clear and cut English: "Don't touch me".
We met up with Brett and Madison (two of the Aussie boys) and went to a tiny temple near the station, which was completely packed with people and so small that it wasn't really special. Norihiro's mood was so spoiled, he was severely disappointed, that he didn't really want to do anything at that point. I was really let down as well. I'm in Japan and, on the greatest holiday of the year, I spent it inside a train station, because of Hiroki. We did our best to cheer each other up and have a good time while, more or less, avoiding the reality of Hiroki's existence. We would look at Hiroki and say "Redrum" and laugh (thank you Shining!). Norihiro said to me, when no one else was around, "I should have spent New Years with only you." He and I always have a good time, plus we're not usually late for things. I promised him that next year we could have a fun New Years, in the US, and he agreed.
We met up with Ismail later and went to a restaurant and stayed there until around 4 AM. The boys all drank a ton, besides Norihiro and Ismail, and were having a great time. By the end of the night Norihiro was much happier, at least with everyone except Hiroki, and the night ended well. We all took trains at 5:20 AM to head for home. Unfortunately I ended up on the train with only the other foreigners and Brett and Madison were so drunk I was worried they wouldn't be able to make it home. Ismail and I were talking and Brett asked us a question and when Madison didn't like our responses he ended up screaming at us, insulting us, calling us names, and swearing at us. I told him to stop personally attacking me but when he didn't and continued to be a complete inbreed moron I told him to go "F" himself and walked to the other end of the train car. Ismail stayed but defended me and chewed Madison out for talking to me like that, which I really appreciated. Of course it did no good because Madison is an absolute narrow minded idiot without consideration for anyone and in his own mind can do no wrong. But I didn't let it bother me because I remembered that no one likes him :) My New Years was, overall, just ok.
Yesterday, the 1st, I went to Oniisan's mother's house with the family. Masato, Ooki chan and Oniisan's san is in town so it was a big family get together, which I was invited too as well. We ate SO much food and I took a 3 hour nap on a heated rug and woke to eat more food. It felt like Christmas and Thanksgiving rolled together. Today we're doing it again, but with Ooki chan's family. I sure do love this holiday!
Tomorrow, the 3rd, Norihiro and I have plans. Not sure what but he mentioned possibly going to an indoor rock climbing place and a hot spring. We'll see :)
Sorry my email is spastic. I've been going to bed around 3-5 AM the last two nights and waking up in the afternoon so I feel a little crazy. Hopefully I can go to sleep at a normal hour tonight and try to regulate because I feel like I'm on a sugar rush right now.
I hope you all had a great New Years. Happy 2012! For me, 2011 was one of the best years of my life. Good things happened and one of my greatest dreams, to come to Japan, came true. It was the year of the rabbit, which also happens to be the year I was born so, naturally, it was a lucky year for me. Hopefully 2012 brings wonderful things as well. I wish the best for all of you in this new year! Love you!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
The first week of Winter Break
Hello family and friends!
Merry Christmas! I had a very busy week :)
On the 22nd I went to Eigo Rakugo with my host parents. Rakugo is a Japanese style comedy where one person acts out and does the voice of many characters in a story or a joke. They kneel on a pillow and are allowed only two props: a fan and a small towel. The Rakugo we went to, as I said, was Eigo Rakugo which means English Rakugo. So it was very funny and enjoyable. The theater was quite small but beautiful. I laughed so hard. Ooki chan and Oniisan both liked it as well, especially Ooki chan. She and I laughed and laughed about it, even after. I would like to see it again some day if I can.
On the 23rd I went to ShinsaiBashi, a famous street in Osaka, with Norihiro, Hiroki, and Akane. Since it was the current Emperors birthday the roads were packed! It took forever to reach Osaka. Akane's English is very good so she translated for me the whole night, which made hanging out with Hiroki even more fun. But since she was there to translate Norihiro didn't hardly speak any English the whole night. Either way it was a lot of fun and I didn't get home until 4 AM so the next day I was exhausted.
On the 24th I was invited to go see a Japanese Traditional play known as Noh. Noh is about 600 years old and, since it's traditional, it hasn't changed in all those years. The actors sing and it's almost like Japanese Opera, instead of speaking. The music is REALLY cool! They use only 4 instruments: 3 different types of drums and a wooden flute. They also sing and the back up singers seem to do almost a chant while others make the strangest noises like whoops and calls. It was really interesting to watch.
On the 25th I did as all other Japanese people do on Christmas: at cake and went on a date :) Oh yeah, that's right! Ooki chan bought Christmas cake so before my date the three of us ate together. The cake in Japan is seriously so pretty, you feast with your eyes before your mouth. For my date I went to Fushimi Inari shrine, or in English, the 1,000 Tori Gate Shrine. It was so beautiful! It was one of the places I've always wanted to see in Japan so I was really happy that my date agreed to take me, despite it being VERY cold! Since it was Christmas and cold the shrine was not very busy so it ended up being a really romantic date. We walked around almost the whole shrine though, which took over 3 hours so we were exhausted by the time we finished. It was a lot of fun. We ended the night by watching a scary movie in my room.
On the 26th, today, I woke up and Skyped with the family at Mom and Dad's house. I was able to talk to Mom, Dad, the little kids, Tanith and her boys, Tamirrah and Kendall, Trent, and KC and uncle Tom, and Grandma and Grandpa Williams. It was really nice to talk to everyone. I also received the package Mom and Dad sent me for Christmas, thank you so much! Yuka sent me a Christmas card as well which was a WONDERFUL surprise. Thank you so much Yuka! After I Skyped with everyone I went to lunch with Ooki chan and 4 of her students and friends. They bought us lunch which was so nice. I ate a ton and we laughed and talked a lot. They are always so happy to practice English with me so they are so kind to me and get very excited to see me. I feel very special around them :)
After lunch, right now in fact, I had to pay my phone bill so as I was walking it started snowing! Aww! The day AFTER Christmas, really Japan?! But it's ok :) So I got to see a little snow in Japan. And now, I'm just relaxing as it's Fuyuyasumi (winter break). Ahhh :)
Not sure what my plans are during winter break, other then studying a lot, but it will be very nice I'm sure. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I miss you all very much and love you. Talk to you again soon!
Merry Christmas! I had a very busy week :)
On the 22nd I went to Eigo Rakugo with my host parents. Rakugo is a Japanese style comedy where one person acts out and does the voice of many characters in a story or a joke. They kneel on a pillow and are allowed only two props: a fan and a small towel. The Rakugo we went to, as I said, was Eigo Rakugo which means English Rakugo. So it was very funny and enjoyable. The theater was quite small but beautiful. I laughed so hard. Ooki chan and Oniisan both liked it as well, especially Ooki chan. She and I laughed and laughed about it, even after. I would like to see it again some day if I can.
On the 23rd I went to ShinsaiBashi, a famous street in Osaka, with Norihiro, Hiroki, and Akane. Since it was the current Emperors birthday the roads were packed! It took forever to reach Osaka. Akane's English is very good so she translated for me the whole night, which made hanging out with Hiroki even more fun. But since she was there to translate Norihiro didn't hardly speak any English the whole night. Either way it was a lot of fun and I didn't get home until 4 AM so the next day I was exhausted.
On the 24th I was invited to go see a Japanese Traditional play known as Noh. Noh is about 600 years old and, since it's traditional, it hasn't changed in all those years. The actors sing and it's almost like Japanese Opera, instead of speaking. The music is REALLY cool! They use only 4 instruments: 3 different types of drums and a wooden flute. They also sing and the back up singers seem to do almost a chant while others make the strangest noises like whoops and calls. It was really interesting to watch.
On the 25th I did as all other Japanese people do on Christmas: at cake and went on a date :) Oh yeah, that's right! Ooki chan bought Christmas cake so before my date the three of us ate together. The cake in Japan is seriously so pretty, you feast with your eyes before your mouth. For my date I went to Fushimi Inari shrine, or in English, the 1,000 Tori Gate Shrine. It was so beautiful! It was one of the places I've always wanted to see in Japan so I was really happy that my date agreed to take me, despite it being VERY cold! Since it was Christmas and cold the shrine was not very busy so it ended up being a really romantic date. We walked around almost the whole shrine though, which took over 3 hours so we were exhausted by the time we finished. It was a lot of fun. We ended the night by watching a scary movie in my room.
On the 26th, today, I woke up and Skyped with the family at Mom and Dad's house. I was able to talk to Mom, Dad, the little kids, Tanith and her boys, Tamirrah and Kendall, Trent, and KC and uncle Tom, and Grandma and Grandpa Williams. It was really nice to talk to everyone. I also received the package Mom and Dad sent me for Christmas, thank you so much! Yuka sent me a Christmas card as well which was a WONDERFUL surprise. Thank you so much Yuka! After I Skyped with everyone I went to lunch with Ooki chan and 4 of her students and friends. They bought us lunch which was so nice. I ate a ton and we laughed and talked a lot. They are always so happy to practice English with me so they are so kind to me and get very excited to see me. I feel very special around them :)
After lunch, right now in fact, I had to pay my phone bill so as I was walking it started snowing! Aww! The day AFTER Christmas, really Japan?! But it's ok :) So I got to see a little snow in Japan. And now, I'm just relaxing as it's Fuyuyasumi (winter break). Ahhh :)
Not sure what my plans are during winter break, other then studying a lot, but it will be very nice I'm sure. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I miss you all very much and love you. Talk to you again soon!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Nagashima Spaland
Hey everyone!
What a week! I've seriously played hard! Here's what happened: Norihiro was scheduled to get out of the hospital Tuesday. He insisted that he wanted to go play as soon as he was free. The thing he wanted to do was see the colored leafs before they fall. So we planed to meet up and choose where to go on our way to the station. We ended up going to Kobe to see their big Illumination show they do every year. They have set this huge light show up every year since the big earthquake in 1995. It was really fun! The lights came on at 6 PM, all at the same time, with a big burst of music. It was really cool and made me finally feel like Christmas is here (There's no snow in Japan so it doesn't feel like December to me). We walked around and ate SO much food from all the stalls they had set up in the park. I'm used to getting looked at but poor Norihiro might get stared at even more then me when we're together. We speak English to each other, (his English is much better then my Japanese. But he teaches me and we use both.) so he REALLY stands out! It was a cold night but a lot of fun. It was so packed though that almost the whole night we were heel to toe in crowds. It's part of Japan, be warned for anyone who wants to come visit. If you like your space and feel uncomfortable in crowds, you won't like sight seeing in Japan.
Saturday I went to Arashiyama again, (the place with all the bamboo), because they are doing a light show there as well. They had the mountain lite up as well as lanterns on the streets. The bamboo forest had lights in it too and it was so beautiful. But freezing! It was a very cold night. Kyoto is colder then Ibaraki. On the train ride home I ended up so packed in I was pressed on everyone around me. it was really funny.
Sunday, yesterday, I went to Nagashima Spaland with Hiroki, Shyuu, and Norihiro. Norihiro and I are both punctual people and don't like to make others wait so we were on time. . . Hiroki and Shyuu were over half an hour late . . . but we can't complain since Hiroki drove. (Random fact: Norihiro is very traditional when it comes to respecting his elders. Hiroki and Shyuu are both his Senpai (upper classmen) so Norihiro makes it a point to never complain to them about their behavior and to always be patient and show gratitude. Poor guy takes a lot of beating from these two lol. Hiroki and Shyuu are so crazy sometimes.) Nagashima Spaland is a theme park with an Onsen/hotspring as well. In the day we went to the theme park. They have a rollercoster there called Steel Dragon 2000 that, when it was built, was the tallest and longest running rollercoster in the world. It's no longer the tallest but it's still the longest. It was intense! It's 318 feet with the first drop being 306 feet. It's 8,133 feet long and lasts 3 minuets and goes 95 MPH. It was VERY scary and seriously cold all the way up there. Shyuu doesn't really like rollercosters so afterwards he was so angry at us he yelled at us. I couldn't understand him, mostly, but when I asked him if it was fun he insisted it was scary and continued to chew me out, even though he knows I can't understand lol. Norihiro and I laughed because he was so mad.
Once the rides closed we went to the Spa. I ended up alone, of course, being the only girl. Hiroki and Shyuu both offered to be "lady boys" for me and join me on the girls side. I told them I would rather go alone lol. The previous onsen I went to was in Fukui, at the hotel, and it was really small. This one was HUGE! And, of course, I was the only foreigner in there. So, there I am, walking into the locker room and there are hundreds of naked Japanese women who all seem to turn a look at me with surprised eyes. But I didn't care. Once I was naked I was comfortable and took my shower, soaked in the hotspring, and got dressed. No worries :) We were supposed to meet at 8 o'clock on the main level to go home so I hurried because I figured I would be slower then the boys. I got out to the main floor 15 minutes before meeting time so I walked around a little. After a while I sat down, I was really tired and very warm, and waited. . . and waited. . . a n d w a i t e d . . . . . Finally, around 8:30, I text Norihiro. They were just getting out of the onsen! They finally came out at around 9. Hiroki and Shyuu both started apologizing right away (in over the top ways) and, in front of tons of people, dropped on their knees and touched their foreheads to the ground. Tons of people were looking at these two Japanese boys bowing to a white girl. I was so embarrassed! Shyuu even jokingly offered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for making me wait. Stupid jerks lol. By the time they got out, since I had waited for so long, I was cold, tired, hungry, and, obviously, annoyed from waiting. I think since I wasn't smiling a lot they were very scared of me. They kept apologizing and even bought me tea and soda as a present to apologize. Norihiro seemed very concerned and kept asking me if I was cold, if I was alright, etc. I wasn't smiling so he kept asking. When I would tell him "Daijoubu" (I'm fine) he would ask "Honto?" (Really) and wouldn't believe my answer. Poor guy. Caught between two Senpai and an annoyed American girl. I cooled down and once I had some food I was back to my normal self lol.
All that fun came with a price. You can't expect to be outside for three days in one week, at night, in December, and not have consequences. I woke up with a head cold! My right side has so much pressure I can't even blow my nose! So I'm officially missing my first day of school this semester to stay in bed and rest. My ears hurt a little but other then that I'm ok. I'm sure by Tomorrow I'll be perfect :)
Not much else to report. Hope things are well at home. Miss and love you guys!
What a week! I've seriously played hard! Here's what happened: Norihiro was scheduled to get out of the hospital Tuesday. He insisted that he wanted to go play as soon as he was free. The thing he wanted to do was see the colored leafs before they fall. So we planed to meet up and choose where to go on our way to the station. We ended up going to Kobe to see their big Illumination show they do every year. They have set this huge light show up every year since the big earthquake in 1995. It was really fun! The lights came on at 6 PM, all at the same time, with a big burst of music. It was really cool and made me finally feel like Christmas is here (There's no snow in Japan so it doesn't feel like December to me). We walked around and ate SO much food from all the stalls they had set up in the park. I'm used to getting looked at but poor Norihiro might get stared at even more then me when we're together. We speak English to each other, (his English is much better then my Japanese. But he teaches me and we use both.) so he REALLY stands out! It was a cold night but a lot of fun. It was so packed though that almost the whole night we were heel to toe in crowds. It's part of Japan, be warned for anyone who wants to come visit. If you like your space and feel uncomfortable in crowds, you won't like sight seeing in Japan.
Saturday I went to Arashiyama again, (the place with all the bamboo), because they are doing a light show there as well. They had the mountain lite up as well as lanterns on the streets. The bamboo forest had lights in it too and it was so beautiful. But freezing! It was a very cold night. Kyoto is colder then Ibaraki. On the train ride home I ended up so packed in I was pressed on everyone around me. it was really funny.
Sunday, yesterday, I went to Nagashima Spaland with Hiroki, Shyuu, and Norihiro. Norihiro and I are both punctual people and don't like to make others wait so we were on time. . . Hiroki and Shyuu were over half an hour late . . . but we can't complain since Hiroki drove. (Random fact: Norihiro is very traditional when it comes to respecting his elders. Hiroki and Shyuu are both his Senpai (upper classmen) so Norihiro makes it a point to never complain to them about their behavior and to always be patient and show gratitude. Poor guy takes a lot of beating from these two lol. Hiroki and Shyuu are so crazy sometimes.) Nagashima Spaland is a theme park with an Onsen/hotspring as well. In the day we went to the theme park. They have a rollercoster there called Steel Dragon 2000 that, when it was built, was the tallest and longest running rollercoster in the world. It's no longer the tallest but it's still the longest. It was intense! It's 318 feet with the first drop being 306 feet. It's 8,133 feet long and lasts 3 minuets and goes 95 MPH. It was VERY scary and seriously cold all the way up there. Shyuu doesn't really like rollercosters so afterwards he was so angry at us he yelled at us. I couldn't understand him, mostly, but when I asked him if it was fun he insisted it was scary and continued to chew me out, even though he knows I can't understand lol. Norihiro and I laughed because he was so mad.
Once the rides closed we went to the Spa. I ended up alone, of course, being the only girl. Hiroki and Shyuu both offered to be "lady boys" for me and join me on the girls side. I told them I would rather go alone lol. The previous onsen I went to was in Fukui, at the hotel, and it was really small. This one was HUGE! And, of course, I was the only foreigner in there. So, there I am, walking into the locker room and there are hundreds of naked Japanese women who all seem to turn a look at me with surprised eyes. But I didn't care. Once I was naked I was comfortable and took my shower, soaked in the hotspring, and got dressed. No worries :) We were supposed to meet at 8 o'clock on the main level to go home so I hurried because I figured I would be slower then the boys. I got out to the main floor 15 minutes before meeting time so I walked around a little. After a while I sat down, I was really tired and very warm, and waited. . . and waited. . . a n d w a i t e d . . . . . Finally, around 8:30, I text Norihiro. They were just getting out of the onsen! They finally came out at around 9. Hiroki and Shyuu both started apologizing right away (in over the top ways) and, in front of tons of people, dropped on their knees and touched their foreheads to the ground. Tons of people were looking at these two Japanese boys bowing to a white girl. I was so embarrassed! Shyuu even jokingly offered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) for making me wait. Stupid jerks lol. By the time they got out, since I had waited for so long, I was cold, tired, hungry, and, obviously, annoyed from waiting. I think since I wasn't smiling a lot they were very scared of me. They kept apologizing and even bought me tea and soda as a present to apologize. Norihiro seemed very concerned and kept asking me if I was cold, if I was alright, etc. I wasn't smiling so he kept asking. When I would tell him "Daijoubu" (I'm fine) he would ask "Honto?" (Really) and wouldn't believe my answer. Poor guy. Caught between two Senpai and an annoyed American girl. I cooled down and once I had some food I was back to my normal self lol.
All that fun came with a price. You can't expect to be outside for three days in one week, at night, in December, and not have consequences. I woke up with a head cold! My right side has so much pressure I can't even blow my nose! So I'm officially missing my first day of school this semester to stay in bed and rest. My ears hurt a little but other then that I'm ok. I'm sure by Tomorrow I'll be perfect :)
Not much else to report. Hope things are well at home. Miss and love you guys!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji
Hey everyone,
Things here are great, as usual. Lots of things have happened this week.
First things: When Sarah and I hung out with Norihiro and his family he told us that his lung was hurting a little (Norihiro has lung disease called Pneumothorax, which causes him to have a collapsed lung sometimes. It's something that was discovered a few years ago and bothers him sometimes. On day to day bases he's ok but he can't run or do sports because of it). So the next day he went to the doctors to get it checked, better safe then sorry kind of thing. Come to find out it was pretty serious this time so Norihiro got himself planted in the hospital for a week. He went in on Tuesday and had an operation scheduled for Thursday.
I visited him three times in the hospital. The first time was before his operation, on Wednesday. I managed (somehow) to find my way from Ibaraki Shi to Itami Shimin Byouin all by myself. It is about a one and a half hour trip if that puts it into perspective for anyone. I had to take 3 trains and a bus . . . I'm glad Japanese people are so helpful with stupid gaijin (foreigners) like me lol. When I got to the hospital Norihiro wasn't in his room. When he finally showed up he had been walking around out of pure boredom. He looked SO pale! I quickly got him back to his bed and made him sit down. By the time I left he had a lot more color in his face and seemed happier. The next time I visited I went with our friend Hiroki in his car (no more crazy train adventures). We went on Thursday, the day Norihiro had his operation. I text him and asked if he wanted visitors or if he was too tired and he insisted he wanted visitors because he was bored. When we showed up he was fast asleep. The doctors had but three holes in his side so air could get to his lung and had put a camera in one of them during the operation to check out how he's doing. He had a lot of tubes running through him, one at his side to measure how much blood he lost, one in his arm pumping him full of meds, and one going to his . . . ahem. . . bladder so he wouldn't move for about 24 hours. I woke him up, as I knew he would want, and he talked to Hiroki and I. He insisted that he was fine and that the only thing that hurt was the catheter lol. Poor guy :( The next day I went to visit was on Saturday, yesterday, and he was up and about and very happy. Any time he laughed too hard or coughed, though, he'd touch his side but assure everyone that he was fine. He told me today that they should let him out of the hospital Tomorrow and that he'll be back to school on Tuesday.
Saturday the International Center threw a big party for the Exchange Students. They hired a band and had a bunch of food. Host families and other students were invited. It was a lot of fun. I got to hang out with many of the language tutors, mine and other peoples, that I don't get to hang out with all at once. At one point in the party everyone who attended was bunched together for a big group picture (There was easily 50+ people there). Daiki, one of Dan's language partners, is SUPER genki (energetic). He's hilarious and without a doubt one of the loudest Japanese people I've ever met. He only knows a little English. During the big group picture, he was standing behind me, he jokingly pushed me as if he was going to knock me over for the picture. After the pictures were taken I turned around and smacked his arm, insisting "Nandeanen?!" (What the heck?) He laughed and said "Sorry! Taleah, you're so sexy!" Which made a lot of people around us laugh. This only encouraged Daiki who then insisting again that I was sexy and then proclaimed that he loved me and gave me a huge hug in front of tons of people. I was so embarrassed I turned bright red! He's called me sexy before but never quiet so boldly lol. The party was a lot of fun though and I walked away with aching cheeks from smiling and laughing so much.
Sunday, today, I took a trip to Kyoto with some Elementary School Teachers. Momo Sensei, the school principal, has some kind of connection with Otemon Gakuin and so he takes some of the exchange students out every year. We ended up being a group of 10, 6 students and 4 teachers. Momo Sensei paid for everything (train tickets, taxis, entrance fees, lunch, and a treat) for 10 people! It was incredible! We went to Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion), Ginkakuji (The Silver Pavilion), as well as Kiyomizu Temple. I felt so spoiled and very happy to be able to go and meet them. It was a lot of fun. Ginkakuji is something in Japan I've always wanted to see. So when I first laid eyes on that stunning gold structure I teared up a little lol. I was so happy! It was incredibly beautiful! Of course, among all the Temples and Shrines are the wonderful Autumn leafs. I'll never get sick of looking at Momiji (Maple leafs). They are the best! :)
So, another week gone and I'm starting to realize time is almost up. I tell myself not to think about it but it's kind of like an awful gloom looming in the background of a peaceful day. So I hold firm to my dreams of living here someday and being an English teacher. I can't give up! Love and miss you guys. Talk to you again soon!
Things here are great, as usual. Lots of things have happened this week.
First things: When Sarah and I hung out with Norihiro and his family he told us that his lung was hurting a little (Norihiro has lung disease called Pneumothorax, which causes him to have a collapsed lung sometimes. It's something that was discovered a few years ago and bothers him sometimes. On day to day bases he's ok but he can't run or do sports because of it). So the next day he went to the doctors to get it checked, better safe then sorry kind of thing. Come to find out it was pretty serious this time so Norihiro got himself planted in the hospital for a week. He went in on Tuesday and had an operation scheduled for Thursday.
I visited him three times in the hospital. The first time was before his operation, on Wednesday. I managed (somehow) to find my way from Ibaraki Shi to Itami Shimin Byouin all by myself. It is about a one and a half hour trip if that puts it into perspective for anyone. I had to take 3 trains and a bus . . . I'm glad Japanese people are so helpful with stupid gaijin (foreigners) like me lol. When I got to the hospital Norihiro wasn't in his room. When he finally showed up he had been walking around out of pure boredom. He looked SO pale! I quickly got him back to his bed and made him sit down. By the time I left he had a lot more color in his face and seemed happier. The next time I visited I went with our friend Hiroki in his car (no more crazy train adventures). We went on Thursday, the day Norihiro had his operation. I text him and asked if he wanted visitors or if he was too tired and he insisted he wanted visitors because he was bored. When we showed up he was fast asleep. The doctors had but three holes in his side so air could get to his lung and had put a camera in one of them during the operation to check out how he's doing. He had a lot of tubes running through him, one at his side to measure how much blood he lost, one in his arm pumping him full of meds, and one going to his . . . ahem. . . bladder so he wouldn't move for about 24 hours. I woke him up, as I knew he would want, and he talked to Hiroki and I. He insisted that he was fine and that the only thing that hurt was the catheter lol. Poor guy :( The next day I went to visit was on Saturday, yesterday, and he was up and about and very happy. Any time he laughed too hard or coughed, though, he'd touch his side but assure everyone that he was fine. He told me today that they should let him out of the hospital Tomorrow and that he'll be back to school on Tuesday.
Saturday the International Center threw a big party for the Exchange Students. They hired a band and had a bunch of food. Host families and other students were invited. It was a lot of fun. I got to hang out with many of the language tutors, mine and other peoples, that I don't get to hang out with all at once. At one point in the party everyone who attended was bunched together for a big group picture (There was easily 50+ people there). Daiki, one of Dan's language partners, is SUPER genki (energetic). He's hilarious and without a doubt one of the loudest Japanese people I've ever met. He only knows a little English. During the big group picture, he was standing behind me, he jokingly pushed me as if he was going to knock me over for the picture. After the pictures were taken I turned around and smacked his arm, insisting "Nandeanen?!" (What the heck?) He laughed and said "Sorry! Taleah, you're so sexy!" Which made a lot of people around us laugh. This only encouraged Daiki who then insisting again that I was sexy and then proclaimed that he loved me and gave me a huge hug in front of tons of people. I was so embarrassed I turned bright red! He's called me sexy before but never quiet so boldly lol. The party was a lot of fun though and I walked away with aching cheeks from smiling and laughing so much.
Sunday, today, I took a trip to Kyoto with some Elementary School Teachers. Momo Sensei, the school principal, has some kind of connection with Otemon Gakuin and so he takes some of the exchange students out every year. We ended up being a group of 10, 6 students and 4 teachers. Momo Sensei paid for everything (train tickets, taxis, entrance fees, lunch, and a treat) for 10 people! It was incredible! We went to Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion), Ginkakuji (The Silver Pavilion), as well as Kiyomizu Temple. I felt so spoiled and very happy to be able to go and meet them. It was a lot of fun. Ginkakuji is something in Japan I've always wanted to see. So when I first laid eyes on that stunning gold structure I teared up a little lol. I was so happy! It was incredibly beautiful! Of course, among all the Temples and Shrines are the wonderful Autumn leafs. I'll never get sick of looking at Momiji (Maple leafs). They are the best! :)
So, another week gone and I'm starting to realize time is almost up. I tell myself not to think about it but it's kind of like an awful gloom looming in the background of a peaceful day. So I hold firm to my dreams of living here someday and being an English teacher. I can't give up! Love and miss you guys. Talk to you again soon!
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