California Wrap-Up
So, I got basically updated until right after my graduation party, and then, of course, I got busy again. So, let’s try again, shall we? I’m going to update this until I arrived in Japan, and my (hopefully ASAP) update will be the first of the Japan updates, which will have short summaries posted on the Diversity Abroad website. They didn’t give me a scholarship, but they still want my writing… Well, I don’t mind. :) I’m happy to share my experiences.
So yeah, I’m not in real time anymore. Obviously. Or else this would have been posted EVERY DAY. So the whole I’ve-made-it-to-real-time posts are going to be rare, folks.
As I mentioned briefly in my second to last post - the last BIG summary post - I got a haircut on Monday (6/13). Here is the before (front, back) and after (front, back). I think it was a good change, though I haven’t quite managed to get it as tamed as she did. Just wait til you see some of my photos from Japan… Ha ha ha. Yeah. ANYWAY! Successful hair cut and highlight, which I paid NOTHING for and had hair to donate to Locks of Love. I had unknowingly brought along a $50 gift card for JC Penny and also had VISA gift cards to use, so the $78 was covered. I handled the tip. My stylist is awesome, FYI. I love her.
After that, I met up with my Mom to show her the new do and head home together. I got one of my required foods - Super Taco’s Super Burrito - for dinner and scarfed the WHOLE THING. I regretted it later, but it hurt so good. On Tuesday, I had a VERY exciting day. I drove down to the city, dropping off a friend along the way in Sebastapol, to go get a tour of THX (yes, the George Lucas company). I was 45 minutes early, and the turn was right off Lucas Valley Road, so I went exploring. I always said I’d go drive out Lucas Valley Road some day, so I finally did. I drove all the way to Nicasio, then turned back to go to my tour. I was met by an important representative whom I'd spoken with before, and he was kind enough to show me around and give enough foam THX robots for all the kids in my family (including myself). I totally geeked out when I left. I think I grinned the whole way home. He was a really nice guy and it was great getting the chance to chat with him again for an hour - I hope to do it again in the future. The meeting was completely worth the 2.5 hour drive to get there. :)
On Wednesday, I had lunch with my former employer and coworkers. It was also a celebration for my boss’ birthday, so there was a cake made by a friend. She gave me a graduation card. :) It had pretty butterflies on it - she even added butterfly stickers. We chatted for about 1.5 hours before they had to go back to work and I headed off myself. I’m afraid I don’t remember where I went…
Oh! Before that lunch, I met up with a Ukiahi student to get the check of proceeds from the fundraiser to benefit Meisei High School, Ukiah High’s sister school in Sendai, Japan, where the earthquake hit. Because the meeting went so quick, I got to sit in the park for an hour, leisurely reading, before my lunch date. That’s RARE, FYI.
On Thursday, I went to my cousin's high school graduation. Go Becky! Mom was really sick the whole time I was home, so she didn't get to go. We were supposed to go shopping on Friday in Santa Rosa, but I didn’t to go without her. So I went with Grandma to Ukiah to do some running around and get my pedicure. I got a couple of new dresses and they definitely stroke the pride - a size 8 in women’s regular sizes (though it was a petite and I am far from that at 5’9”) and a medium in juniors. I loves me some dresses. I want another of the petite dresses in a different color. Didn’t find it at the other Kohl’s we hit briefly the next week. :( Sold out. Dunno about my home Kohls. When I got home, I met up with Mom and we went to place the order for my sister’s baby shower cake for Saturday and buy the candy and such for the party. I bought the cake (and later the balloons) as my contributions. Mom was still sick, unfortunately. On Saturday, she perked up pretty well for the shopping and errands and setup for the baby shower, which went smoothly. My sister seemed happy with her presents and the shower, and she loved her cake! I’m sad I won’t be there to see my new niece (Kaveya May) born, but I know my Mom will send me a million pictures. (I just reminded her to send them to my Japanese phone.)
Sunday was Father’s Day and included cards, presents, and a trip to see Green Lantern. Entertaining; not fabulous, but I like a movie if it doesn’t drag and simply entertains me. So, Green Lantern was fun, though Thor was better. Awesome. In love with. WANT ME SOME THUNDER GOD PLZ K THX BAI. *cough* Right then. Before the movies, my sister came by with my niece and nephew to visit and I finally got a picture with my niece. Amazingly, I got a picture with my nephew at my grad party.
Monday I had to seriously think about packing, as we headed to SF on Tuesday. And I did; seriously think about it, that is. Not that I really did it. But I thought about it. Really. I headed to Ukiah to go glasses shopping with my grandmother and say hello to the uncle who hadn’t made it to my party. He gave me roses as a graduation gift. Then it was a lunch date with another former boss and her wife, followed by a dash back up to Willits when Mom left work early so we could both hit the chiropractor. I of course forgot I had a doctor’s appointment at that same time, though I’d remembered that morning. I cancelled it when I remembered, but I couldn’t have gone anyway.
So, that brings me to Tuesday, which included picking up medicine for the summer and an impromptu teeth cleaning at the dentist when I went in to pay my bill. I was all into packing mode after that, and got everything packed into 2 checked bags, a purse, and a carryon. The carryon was mostly my travel pillows and travel blanket, plus my computer and some breakable gifts. The purse was all entertainment - books and Nook and MP3 player. Easier access and avoids the laptop taking up the space under the seat. Trust me; I’ve gotten good at this whole travel bit. I’m managing to avoid jet lag of late as well, when travelling overseas. Not sure how, but I am!
Tuesday afternoon, we met Mom in Healdsburg to drop off her car on the way to San Fran for the night. We had an unexpected stop in Santa Rosa for clothes shopping when Dad had a wardrobe issue, but we still made it to Pier 39 for dinner by 7pm. We requested a table at Bubba Gump’s and waited for my friend John from Australia to arrive, who was in town on business. I was excited to finally meet him in person after 2.5 years of talking online, on the phone, and over Skype! Dinner and company was fabulous, and the attempt to return him to his hotel for the night so he wouldn’t have to use a taxi (following successful souvenir shopping), was an adventure involving roundabout GPS directions, missed turns, and confusing intersections. I’m pretty sure I laughed the whole way. I doubt it helped. But hey, such is driving in San Fran. (And I'm totally wearing one of my new dresses.)
Stayed the night near the airport with my parents, who got up with me at 430am to grab a 5am shuttle to the International Terminal at SFO. I checked in, dropped off bags (slightly overweight on one), and wandered through to my flight. I was a good girl and changed my voice mail to an extended absence greeting. Called a friend to say goodbye, too, just like I said I would. A few loving text messages, and the phone was off for the flight to Vancouver, via Air Canada, where I would then transfer and fly to Tokyo.
Ha! If only it was so easy. I was supposed to arrive by 330pm in Tokyo, but my flight was delayed 45 minutes. The program required me to arrive by 330pm so I’d travel to meet my host family with them. With the time difference, it wasn’t possible to get a hold of someone, so I was praying I’d have someone to meet me. Otherwise, at least, I’m familiar with the transportation system in Tokyo and could get where I needed. The plus side was the nice conversation with a Japanese tour guide and some of her customers, in Japanese, who all sat around me. I arrived at 4pm, my luggage was the last off the plane (I swear!), and then I breezed through immigration AND customs. As I was hunting for the right meeting spot, a KCP representative (Utami-san), walked towards me with a KCP sign. They waited! I changed a tiny bit of money, handed off my big bag to be delivered the next day, and followed the group down to the train station to eventually meet up with my host family in Shinjuku Station.
I’ll leave it here, for now, and do the next post about the start of my trip in Japan. Stay tuned!
So yeah, I’m not in real time anymore. Obviously. Or else this would have been posted EVERY DAY. So the whole I’ve-made-it-to-real-time posts are going to be rare, folks.
As I mentioned briefly in my second to last post - the last BIG summary post - I got a haircut on Monday (6/13). Here is the before (front, back) and after (front, back). I think it was a good change, though I haven’t quite managed to get it as tamed as she did. Just wait til you see some of my photos from Japan… Ha ha ha. Yeah. ANYWAY! Successful hair cut and highlight, which I paid NOTHING for and had hair to donate to Locks of Love. I had unknowingly brought along a $50 gift card for JC Penny and also had VISA gift cards to use, so the $78 was covered. I handled the tip. My stylist is awesome, FYI. I love her.
After that, I met up with my Mom to show her the new do and head home together. I got one of my required foods - Super Taco’s Super Burrito - for dinner and scarfed the WHOLE THING. I regretted it later, but it hurt so good. On Tuesday, I had a VERY exciting day. I drove down to the city, dropping off a friend along the way in Sebastapol, to go get a tour of THX (yes, the George Lucas company). I was 45 minutes early, and the turn was right off Lucas Valley Road, so I went exploring. I always said I’d go drive out Lucas Valley Road some day, so I finally did. I drove all the way to Nicasio, then turned back to go to my tour. I was met by an important representative whom I'd spoken with before, and he was kind enough to show me around and give enough foam THX robots for all the kids in my family (including myself). I totally geeked out when I left. I think I grinned the whole way home. He was a really nice guy and it was great getting the chance to chat with him again for an hour - I hope to do it again in the future. The meeting was completely worth the 2.5 hour drive to get there. :)
On Wednesday, I had lunch with my former employer and coworkers. It was also a celebration for my boss’ birthday, so there was a cake made by a friend. She gave me a graduation card. :) It had pretty butterflies on it - she even added butterfly stickers. We chatted for about 1.5 hours before they had to go back to work and I headed off myself. I’m afraid I don’t remember where I went…
Oh! Before that lunch, I met up with a Ukiahi student to get the check of proceeds from the fundraiser to benefit Meisei High School, Ukiah High’s sister school in Sendai, Japan, where the earthquake hit. Because the meeting went so quick, I got to sit in the park for an hour, leisurely reading, before my lunch date. That’s RARE, FYI.
On Thursday, I went to my cousin's high school graduation. Go Becky! Mom was really sick the whole time I was home, so she didn't get to go. We were supposed to go shopping on Friday in Santa Rosa, but I didn’t to go without her. So I went with Grandma to Ukiah to do some running around and get my pedicure. I got a couple of new dresses and they definitely stroke the pride - a size 8 in women’s regular sizes (though it was a petite and I am far from that at 5’9”) and a medium in juniors. I loves me some dresses. I want another of the petite dresses in a different color. Didn’t find it at the other Kohl’s we hit briefly the next week. :( Sold out. Dunno about my home Kohls. When I got home, I met up with Mom and we went to place the order for my sister’s baby shower cake for Saturday and buy the candy and such for the party. I bought the cake (and later the balloons) as my contributions. Mom was still sick, unfortunately. On Saturday, she perked up pretty well for the shopping and errands and setup for the baby shower, which went smoothly. My sister seemed happy with her presents and the shower, and she loved her cake! I’m sad I won’t be there to see my new niece (Kaveya May) born, but I know my Mom will send me a million pictures. (I just reminded her to send them to my Japanese phone.)
Sunday was Father’s Day and included cards, presents, and a trip to see Green Lantern. Entertaining; not fabulous, but I like a movie if it doesn’t drag and simply entertains me. So, Green Lantern was fun, though Thor was better. Awesome. In love with. WANT ME SOME THUNDER GOD PLZ K THX BAI. *cough* Right then. Before the movies, my sister came by with my niece and nephew to visit and I finally got a picture with my niece. Amazingly, I got a picture with my nephew at my grad party.
Monday I had to seriously think about packing, as we headed to SF on Tuesday. And I did; seriously think about it, that is. Not that I really did it. But I thought about it. Really. I headed to Ukiah to go glasses shopping with my grandmother and say hello to the uncle who hadn’t made it to my party. He gave me roses as a graduation gift. Then it was a lunch date with another former boss and her wife, followed by a dash back up to Willits when Mom left work early so we could both hit the chiropractor. I of course forgot I had a doctor’s appointment at that same time, though I’d remembered that morning. I cancelled it when I remembered, but I couldn’t have gone anyway.
So, that brings me to Tuesday, which included picking up medicine for the summer and an impromptu teeth cleaning at the dentist when I went in to pay my bill. I was all into packing mode after that, and got everything packed into 2 checked bags, a purse, and a carryon. The carryon was mostly my travel pillows and travel blanket, plus my computer and some breakable gifts. The purse was all entertainment - books and Nook and MP3 player. Easier access and avoids the laptop taking up the space under the seat. Trust me; I’ve gotten good at this whole travel bit. I’m managing to avoid jet lag of late as well, when travelling overseas. Not sure how, but I am!
Tuesday afternoon, we met Mom in Healdsburg to drop off her car on the way to San Fran for the night. We had an unexpected stop in Santa Rosa for clothes shopping when Dad had a wardrobe issue, but we still made it to Pier 39 for dinner by 7pm. We requested a table at Bubba Gump’s and waited for my friend John from Australia to arrive, who was in town on business. I was excited to finally meet him in person after 2.5 years of talking online, on the phone, and over Skype! Dinner and company was fabulous, and the attempt to return him to his hotel for the night so he wouldn’t have to use a taxi (following successful souvenir shopping), was an adventure involving roundabout GPS directions, missed turns, and confusing intersections. I’m pretty sure I laughed the whole way. I doubt it helped. But hey, such is driving in San Fran. (And I'm totally wearing one of my new dresses.)
Stayed the night near the airport with my parents, who got up with me at 430am to grab a 5am shuttle to the International Terminal at SFO. I checked in, dropped off bags (slightly overweight on one), and wandered through to my flight. I was a good girl and changed my voice mail to an extended absence greeting. Called a friend to say goodbye, too, just like I said I would. A few loving text messages, and the phone was off for the flight to Vancouver, via Air Canada, where I would then transfer and fly to Tokyo.
Ha! If only it was so easy. I was supposed to arrive by 330pm in Tokyo, but my flight was delayed 45 minutes. The program required me to arrive by 330pm so I’d travel to meet my host family with them. With the time difference, it wasn’t possible to get a hold of someone, so I was praying I’d have someone to meet me. Otherwise, at least, I’m familiar with the transportation system in Tokyo and could get where I needed. The plus side was the nice conversation with a Japanese tour guide and some of her customers, in Japanese, who all sat around me. I arrived at 4pm, my luggage was the last off the plane (I swear!), and then I breezed through immigration AND customs. As I was hunting for the right meeting spot, a KCP representative (Utami-san), walked towards me with a KCP sign. They waited! I changed a tiny bit of money, handed off my big bag to be delivered the next day, and followed the group down to the train station to eventually meet up with my host family in Shinjuku Station.
I’ll leave it here, for now, and do the next post about the start of my trip in Japan. Stay tuned!