Something Happy; Japanese Apartments
So I need a break from all the worry. Here is a entry NOT about earthquakes. Instead, I'm going to tell you about my friend Hannah, who is a girl living for adventure (even if she doesn't want to admit it.)
Hannah lived in the dorms with me the first month of school. We became good friends and bounded over our similar music love (Gogol Bordello.) She is always smiles, and friendly. It is a rare sight to see Hannah without friends hanging around her. So we were all sad when she announced she was suddenly looking at apartments in the area. You see, her school doesn't cover all the costs, and Hannah was having to pay for the dorm herself (which is pretty expensive.) She did the math, clever girl, and saw that it was actually CHEAPER to get a apartment then stay in the dorms.
Within a week, she made the decision, found the landlady, and moved into a apartment. This pretty much sums Hannah up as a person.
I've been meaning to go visit her "hobble" of a apartment. Which, she and her roommate fondly named "Home tree." Hannah asked for my opinion on home decor (since she knows I love it sooo much.) It has been almost three weeks since Hannah moved in, and finally we went to visit her.
We walked a few blocks north of our school, down a busy and central street, with nearly no sidewalk. Causing the group of four American girls to walk in a single file line. Turning down a gravel road, we found ourselves in a small lived in street, hidden from the outside world. Hannah's apartment , which is actually a house. Is a two story hobble. And I mean hobble. Next to it, Home Tree has a twin who has definitely seen better. Home Tree 2 had large holes in the front and sides of it, all boarded up with rotted wooden boards. I kid you not. When Hannah greeted us at the door, all smiles as usual, I felt a little more relaxed. Especially when I actually walked into the building.
Home Tree is nothing special nor particularly nice by American Standards. But it is HOMEY. Hannah and her roommate worked hard to clean up the place. It has old wooden floor boards, a tiny kitchen, a fairly large living area, and a second floor with two rooms for two people (plus, a narrow stair case that kills!). The place came with the basic furniture. A TV, futons, a kotatsu (remember how I want one of these things!) Hannah is using a old wooden desk as a table. It is just big enough for two people, and brings a amazing vintage feel to the home. They haven't done much for decorating yet, and I plan to give them SOMETHING to put on their bare walls, but meanwhile I fell in love with sweet Home Tree. Hannah's roommate even bought a little tree that sits on their kitchen table. Fondly named, Little Tree.
And I can't express how nice and how much it meant to me to have my friends sit at a table (kotatsu), present me with a cake, and we all dig in. Felt like my own little family gathering.
Needless to say I can't wait for the day when I can possibly buy a tiny apartment (house) in Japan. Just to decorate it with adorable Japanese furniture and watch Japanese news in the morning. Someday that will come, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying living in the dorms where my friends are right down the hall, and there is a large kitchen where I can do my homework. ;)
Pictures Below of Hannah's Home Decor (not yet completed) and birthday cake gathering!
