(no subject)
So I realized it's been like FOUR THOUSAND YEARS since the last time I posted an entery. Ok, more like just over a month. BUT STILL. It is high time I get off my lazy ass and do some posting. METAPHORICALLY. In reality, I'm going to continue sitting on my lazy ass because I've been immobilized by YET ANOTHER HEAD COLD. Damn you Japanese germs! But my metaphoric butt is up and moving, so it's all good, right? RIGHT?? Anyways, lots of pictures under the cut. It may be best to skip this update as much of it is probably fever induced.
I went mountain climbing with Dani and some of the leaders of the Taiko group in Mishima (taiko are those big wooden things I carried around the city a while ago). Here are a few pics from that adventure.
One of the bridges connecting my island to the main island. View on the drive to the mountain.
Dani on the hike up
View from the top
The intrepid adventurers
The "Caution: Animal Crossing" signs are a little different in Japan XD
For people born in '83, this is our zodiac animal: the Inoshishi (wild boar)
At a roadside market on the drive home from the mountain
America: Hotdog on a stick. Japan: Whole fish on a stick. Yum?
Just after New Years, I got to go to one of the local preschools and help make Mochi (sticky rice cake) the old fashioned way, with hammers and brute strength:
Me attempting to help, but mostly getting in the way :|
People who actually know what their doing.
The kids shaping the mochi after the rice is pounded
The result: Happy messes.
The brown stuff on his mouth is kinako powder, basically sweet soy powder. SO GOOD OMG.
A couple weekends ago, I went to Tokyo to visit Will and Keiko. We wandered around the city, ate all kinds of ethnic food I can't get in my podunk town and went to an aquarium in Shinagawa. It was like a mini-sea world ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF A HOTEL. There was a dolphin show and everything! Good times!
Will and Kei-chan in front of Harajuku Street
Me and Kei-chan in Shinjuku (god i look tired...I blame the long train ride)
Me and Kei-chan, ready to watch the dolphin show. Front row, yo!
Dolphin surfing. This is exactly why I wanted to be a seaworld trainer when I was a kid :o
My new boyfriend.
Tokyo was fun, but the train ride back was less than pleasant. It SNOWED a ton on my island while I was in Tokyo, so the trains were all delayed and I ended up having to train hop a bunch to get home. When I got home, everything was so pretty and white, but then i had to DRIVE HOME in the freakin snow at like 12:30 at night (FIRST TIME DRIVING IN SNOW EVER). So my usual 20 minute drive turned into an hour drive with my car slipping all over the place. FUN TIMES. So naturally when I got home I was completely exhausted, freezing, and ready for bed. But hey. SNOW. So I went outside and made snow angels and a snowman AT 1:30 AM. I = BRILLIANT. (and I wonder why I keep catching colds...)
Snow on the train tracks
My car in the station parking lot.
SNOW ANGEL!
SNOWMAN! He's a japanese version, so only 2 snowballs. His eyes are mikans (japanese oranges)
Minami Junior High School covered in snow.
Snow in a Japanese cemetary
And a couple random pics:
Dai-souji (big cleaning) at Minami Junior High. They make the kids scrub and wax the floors (child labor! XD), but they make it into races so it kinda looks fun ^_______^
Roll Sushi THAT I MADE. *skilled* Ok, so I just copied my friend's dad, but it was totally edible :D *wins*
At a concert I just went to. 3 Japanese guys playing pop and classical music on Japanese traditional instruments. You can't see it in the pic, but the two guys on the left were hot *__*
New years eve gang eating at an Okinawan restraunt. Asagi, Aya, Will, and Keiko (came back from Tokyo for new years)
More New years: Satsuki; Satsuki's adorable Taiwanese boy friend, Lin; and me
Ok, that was less update than picture spam :| I fail, sorry.
But look: Actual news! I realized I haven't made an official announcement yet, so here it is. I debated loooooooong and hard this year, and I finally decided to stay one last year in Japan (bringing the sum total to 3 years). I made lists, (Topping off the "reasons to go home" list were "FRIENDS. PONIES. FAMILY. MEXICAN FOOD"), I argued with myself aloud at my desk (no doubt adding to the reasons my co-workers think I'm crazy), I screamed at the top of my lungs while driving (GREAT stress relief, omg) and finally ended up pounding my head against a wall for several hours straight.
Basically what it boiled down to is i have a million excellent reasons to go home (the most important of which are listed above), but I still don't know what I want to do when I get back (other than hang out with friends, ride ponies, see family and eat mexican food which are hard to make a career out of). And I have this opportunity here that, after I go home, won't be there any more (JET, which is by far the best program in Japan for teaching English wont allow you to re-apply after quitting for 10 years). So I'm taking one more year. One more year to improve my Japanese. One more year to think about what I want to do when I go home. One more year.
I love you guys. I miss all of you so much. I think about you every day. Please wait for me. Just one more year, and then I'll come home.
*hugs*
I went mountain climbing with Dani and some of the leaders of the Taiko group in Mishima (taiko are those big wooden things I carried around the city a while ago). Here are a few pics from that adventure.
One of the bridges connecting my island to the main island. View on the drive to the mountain.
Dani on the hike up
View from the top
The intrepid adventurers
The "Caution: Animal Crossing" signs are a little different in Japan XD
For people born in '83, this is our zodiac animal: the Inoshishi (wild boar)
At a roadside market on the drive home from the mountain
America: Hotdog on a stick. Japan: Whole fish on a stick. Yum?
Just after New Years, I got to go to one of the local preschools and help make Mochi (sticky rice cake) the old fashioned way, with hammers and brute strength:
Me attempting to help, but mostly getting in the way :|
People who actually know what their doing.
The kids shaping the mochi after the rice is pounded
The result: Happy messes.
The brown stuff on his mouth is kinako powder, basically sweet soy powder. SO GOOD OMG.
A couple weekends ago, I went to Tokyo to visit Will and Keiko. We wandered around the city, ate all kinds of ethnic food I can't get in my podunk town and went to an aquarium in Shinagawa. It was like a mini-sea world ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF A HOTEL. There was a dolphin show and everything! Good times!
Will and Kei-chan in front of Harajuku Street
Me and Kei-chan in Shinjuku (god i look tired...I blame the long train ride)
Me and Kei-chan, ready to watch the dolphin show. Front row, yo!
Dolphin surfing. This is exactly why I wanted to be a seaworld trainer when I was a kid :o
My new boyfriend.
Tokyo was fun, but the train ride back was less than pleasant. It SNOWED a ton on my island while I was in Tokyo, so the trains were all delayed and I ended up having to train hop a bunch to get home. When I got home, everything was so pretty and white, but then i had to DRIVE HOME in the freakin snow at like 12:30 at night (FIRST TIME DRIVING IN SNOW EVER). So my usual 20 minute drive turned into an hour drive with my car slipping all over the place. FUN TIMES. So naturally when I got home I was completely exhausted, freezing, and ready for bed. But hey. SNOW. So I went outside and made snow angels and a snowman AT 1:30 AM. I = BRILLIANT. (and I wonder why I keep catching colds...)
Snow on the train tracks
My car in the station parking lot.
SNOW ANGEL!
SNOWMAN! He's a japanese version, so only 2 snowballs. His eyes are mikans (japanese oranges)
Minami Junior High School covered in snow.
Snow in a Japanese cemetary
And a couple random pics:
Dai-souji (big cleaning) at Minami Junior High. They make the kids scrub and wax the floors (child labor! XD), but they make it into races so it kinda looks fun ^_______^
Roll Sushi THAT I MADE. *skilled* Ok, so I just copied my friend's dad, but it was totally edible :D *wins*
At a concert I just went to. 3 Japanese guys playing pop and classical music on Japanese traditional instruments. You can't see it in the pic, but the two guys on the left were hot *__*
New years eve gang eating at an Okinawan restraunt. Asagi, Aya, Will, and Keiko (came back from Tokyo for new years)
More New years: Satsuki; Satsuki's adorable Taiwanese boy friend, Lin; and me
Ok, that was less update than picture spam :| I fail, sorry.
But look: Actual news! I realized I haven't made an official announcement yet, so here it is. I debated loooooooong and hard this year, and I finally decided to stay one last year in Japan (bringing the sum total to 3 years). I made lists, (Topping off the "reasons to go home" list were "FRIENDS. PONIES. FAMILY. MEXICAN FOOD"), I argued with myself aloud at my desk (no doubt adding to the reasons my co-workers think I'm crazy), I screamed at the top of my lungs while driving (GREAT stress relief, omg) and finally ended up pounding my head against a wall for several hours straight.
Basically what it boiled down to is i have a million excellent reasons to go home (the most important of which are listed above), but I still don't know what I want to do when I get back (other than hang out with friends, ride ponies, see family and eat mexican food which are hard to make a career out of). And I have this opportunity here that, after I go home, won't be there any more (JET, which is by far the best program in Japan for teaching English wont allow you to re-apply after quitting for 10 years). So I'm taking one more year. One more year to improve my Japanese. One more year to think about what I want to do when I go home. One more year.
I love you guys. I miss all of you so much. I think about you every day. Please wait for me. Just one more year, and then I'll come home.
*hugs*