Week Two: Classes have started!

Classes started this week... Well only about 4 of the 10 started that I go to each week. Monday and Friday were national holidays, so I didn't have classes on those days. And, Wednesday there was a Tsunami on the way, so classes were cancelled. Oh, and one of my professors was sick, so that class was cancelled on Tuesday. Ha, so classes really haven't started yet. Tuesday I did have one class, which was my Japanese reading and grammar class. I've already had that twice now, and I love my professor. She is the sweetest little Japanese lady.

Wednesday: Classes we cancelled because of the Tsunami. It never reached the Takarazuka/Nishinomiya area, so it was safe. It was even safe enough to go to the toy store, a specialty cake shop , and book store with my host mother and sisters. It was a very cute little cake shop, I got a really tasty caramel mousse thing! =] The cakes were gorgeous. Here's some pictures!!

Thursday. Classes ressumed again, and I had three! =] I enjoyed my other two professors a lot. My theatre teacher is a riot, and my sentence and meaning teacher is Japanese, but taught in Australia for 16 years. So, she has this Japanese Australian accent going on. Pretty sweet! After school, I gave in. I went and got some McDonalds french fries. I couldn't resist the temptation to have some good American fried food! Haha. =]=] Then I met up with some friends and locals at a Korean barbeque restaurant! It was delicious! I have never had Korean food before.

Here are some random pictures of where I live. First, is the view from on top of the mountain in our apartment building. The second picture is of the little garden outside out lobby! =]

 Friday. Day off from school, but it was pretty interesting! I went to my host sisters' school with the family for their athletic competition day. The entire school was divided into either the red or white team, and each grade competed in different track and field like events. They even had a few Japanese traditional dance numbers. It was very different from anything I've seen before. Oh, and we had a Japanese style picnic in the middle of the day in the gymnasium. I met a lot of the girls' friends' families. All of them were very nice, and welcoming. My Japanese is gettin better, so it is a lot easier to communicate, but I still have a ways to go. Haha, and considering I was the only blonde Westerner there, a lot of staring occured. Some of the children even stared, pointed, and laughed with each other at me. BUT, there were the two cutest little girls that kept looking at my smiling, so I walked over and said "Konichiwa" (good afternoon), and them thinking I speak English say "I'm fine thank-you." Haha it was very funny. Obviously they had been reading some English learning book, and remembered that phrase. It was so cute. Oh and one last thing about Friday, I ended up competing in the parents relay race=]=] I was very nervous with all the hundreds of people's eyes on me, but I did fine.

Saturday. I went to Osaka again with some friends. We went to a delicious ramen shop for lunch, and we had OKONOMIYAKI for dinner!!! =]=] It is my favorite! I think I already told you all about it, but I thought I would remind you of its deliciousness! We also went out for a bit for my friend Marin's birthday! She turned 21! We had some delicious Apricot Sorbet at the Yakitori! =]=]

Here are some pictures from Osaka. The first is of this sweet restaurant/ bar that had lego-like seating outside, and the second is just a view of a street in the Umeda area.

 

 Sorry this was so long! Love and miss you all! I pray that you all are safe, and doing well!

First Week: Check

Hello all!

Well I have officially survived one week in Japan!! Yes! I am way more adjusted to the food, and my new lifestyle. This week I have done a LOT of cool things! I went to Kareoke with some friends on Thursday. It isn't like the awkward standing on stage in a bar type of thing you find in the U.S... ITS SO MUCH BETTER! Ha. Basically you rent out a room with friends, eat snacks, and just have fun singing lots of great songs! They even have English songs! I sang some Spice Girls, Justin Bieber, and Little Mermaid! That same night we went to a huge mall, and then to a Yakitori!! Basically a restaurant that serves every part of a chicken. Some weird things I ate were... a chicken heart (delicious) and soft bones (meat around soft bones taht you can eat).. When I first took a bite of the soft bones, I had NO IDEA that was what I was eating. It was alright... Friday we went on a field trip (all of the international students) which consisted of: hiking in the mountains, a japanese style barbeque, going to a temple and shrine, and going through a manga museum. It was fun fun fun! Then yesterday, I went with my host family to another town about 2 1/2 hours away to their grandparents grave. This Monday is respect for the aged day... basically like our Memorial day, so we put flowers on the grave, and the family did a prayer. We also went to an ONSEN! A Japanese style hot spring/public bath place. Usually you are seperated into different sexes and then go into a hot tub like thing (NAKED).. But they rented out some private ones as a family, but I chose to go in by myself after the family. I'm not that comfortable yet. It was very relaxing! Afterwards, we went to a takoyaki, where they serve fried egg and octopus. It was VERY VERY good! =] Well that's all for now, but here are some pictures for you all to see of the week!.. Ha or just one, my computer is being silly..Here's us at the Kareoke place!

Kyou wa Omoshiroi desu. (Today was interesting!)

Yesterday (Sunday) I did so many things. I ate rice, eggs, and pork for  breakfast (weird).  Because I am still suffering from jetlag I took a 4 hour nap! Asukarasan woke me up, because we then went to a sushiya (sushi shop) that had the conveyer belts where you could choose your sushi by looking at the different options. Tanoshikata (it was fun). However, I haven't had a huge appetite these past couple days, because of the difference in taste and texture in foods. Torusan said that I don't eat much, and that Mae (12 years old) has twice the appetite as me. I'm sure this will change once I get more comfortable here. It is a BIG adjustment! To help with all of my emotions and discouragement, I've been repeating Joshua 1:9 over and over in my head... it really does help, and so do your prayers! Every day gets better and better! To top off yesterday, Torusan and I went to the driving range! It was a lot of fun, even though I didn't hit too well. It was nice to get out of the house, and go to a Japanese golf range. I don't know if I should say they are lazy or tech savvy, but the balls come out of the ground on the rubber tee. Basically you don't have to bend over to put the ball on the tee or deal with a bucket of balls... I've never seen anything like it. I remember thinking that today would be better than yesterday as long as I focused on the strength and comfort I find in God, and I was right!

Today, I had peanut butter toast for breakfast, and then I went with Asukarasan to KGU, we left at 7:50 and didn't get there until 9 A.M.! What an adventure, we got lost along the way. I took several placement tests (parts were very difficult) and then ate lunch at the university with the 88 other international students. We had AMERICAN FOOD! Yummmmmy! Then, I met my Nihongo (Japanese) pals. I have two, Haruka and Hitonmi, who showed me around campus. They speak little English, so I had my dictionary out a lot! However, we walked past the campus lake, and I said "Oishisou" thinking I was saying "It seems interesting" (to have a lake on campus), but I was really saying "It seems delicious." Haha, after a really hard laugh from the three of us, we finally figured out what I was trying to say (Omoshiroisou). It was surprising that I didn't become embarrassed because I messed up, but we all just laughed. It was comforting.

Well sorry for the long post! I hope you all are doing well! Love and miss you!

Day Two in Japan

I arrived to my final destination, Kansai International Airport, yesterday morning at 8:45 after 23 hours of flying and sitting in airports (It was a long day). Then, after arriving, I took a bus along with 10 other international students to Nishinomiya to meet our host families. I met my host father, Toru san, and host sisters, Mae and Yui, and some of the girls friends (tomodachi). They were all very excited to meet me, but I was very nervous. I could barely spit any of the Japanese words and phrases I knew out.. it was very embarrassing and discouraging. However, Toru san spent 16 years in California, so he knows English and translates when I don't understand. I spent yesterday afternoon with my host family at their apartment, where I met my host mother, Asukura, and we ate Japanese candy. It was Yui's birthday yesterday, so we all went to dinner at Coco's, an american restaurant, but they still had Japanese dishes. I had Beef Curry. Being apart of a Japanese birthday celebration was fun, and we ended the night with icecream cake from Baskin Robins.

Also, Toru san is a golfer, and I think we are going to the driving range this afternoon. I am very excited!

Pray for my patience with the language barrier and cultural differences this first week. I'm going to need it!

Love and miss you all!

See You Soon Baboon

Well, the day is finally here. My Dad just took the luggage out to the car, and we are on our way to dinner AND then to the airport! Yikes! I will miss you all so much, but we'll see each other soon. I'll try and post on here about twice a week, so be sure and check it out!

Also, we just welcomed the most beautiful baby into our family last night! Her name is Tessa! Congratulations Jeremy and Jenni! I can't wait to see her more when I return!