05.21-22.11 Heavy

As usual, the weekend passed in a blur.

On Saturday, I had soccer practice in the blazing heat. I think it was the hottest day I've experienced in Japan so far. Naturally, we played in the worst of it-- from 1:30 to 5:00. Luckily, we were guzzling water every few minutes so I didn't get dehydrated, but I was exhausted and a shade or two tanner by the end of it. Immediately after, I showered, ate, and got ready to go to E.S.S with Bea. I didn't really want to go because my entire body felt heavy, but because Bea insisted, I went. I've started to make more friends in E.S.S. It's fairly easy to do since everyone is incredibly friendly themselves. My favorite part is when we go to McDonalds because I get to practice my Japanese in a relaxed setting. Even so, I left a little earlier than usual last night because I was tired.

Yuji with his motorcycle

Waiting in line for McDonalds

Modern day ninjas

 On Sunday morning I had to wake up early to do laundry because I had no clean soccer clothes. We were supposed to leave Nara around 11:30 and play our game at 2:00, but around 10:30 or so it began to downpour. I've noticed that when it rains here it never drizzles-- it's more like a giant bucket of water being emptied. In any case, our game was cancelled, which was disappointing because it meant I had gotten up early and missed church for nothing. Hinako (our team captain) had bought sushi for everyone in preparation for our trip, so I met up with her on campus and got to eat a free lunch before I decided to walk to church.

Although I missed the sermon, I came in time for prayer. When I got to church though, a sudden heaviness overtook my entire body. I think since I have gotten little sleep, haven't eaten well, and have been exercising more vigorously the last few days, everything finally caught up to me in that moment. It was so bad that I couldn't even move. A few people noticed this once we finished praying, and a woman (I feel bad that I can't remember her name!) prayed over me and had me lie down. I ended up taking a nap on one of the pews and woke up refreshed and in a much better mood. That's the power of prayer for you!

Once church was over with, Yoonkyung, Hana, and I went to eat and grab coffee. We went to a little cafe where I ate a delicious panini while Yoonkyung and Hana had waffles (yum!). Hana couldn't stay long afterwards since she had her part time job, but Yoonkyung and I walked around to shop for a little bit. She helped me in my quest to find brownie mix (I have a strange craving for brownies right now), but we couldn't find any. As it got later, I resigned myself to returning to my dorm so I could study Japanese and work on my homework. Yoonkyung bought some food for me before I went back to my room since I don't have anything to eat right now. Grocery shopping is at the top of my list of things to do tomorrow. I joke about Yoonkyung being like my mom, but really, it's a good thing she takes such good care of me. I'm not usually irresponsible when it comes to things like eating right, but lately I have been in a funk (refer to previous posts.)

I look studious

It tasted even better than it looked. And that's saying something.

"NOM NOM"

Mine was the heart, naturally <3

I was actually productive in my studies, so I am feeling a little better about myself. Also, I ran into a classmate on my way back to the dorm and managed to hold an entire conversation with her without having to ask for clarification on anything. It was a small victory, but I'll take it. Tomorrow is the start of another week. My goal is to study every day this week. Time is of the essence so I really want to apply myself and do well.

がんばります！