06.29-30.11 R&R

I'm not particularly in the mood to write, but I have the time so I probably should.

Wednesday was a fairly good day. I got up early to go to the gym with Bea and Yoonkyung, and afterwards we ate at the restaurant near JR Nara station that Bea seems to love. Because I haven't been eating well lately, my stomach has shrunken and my appetite has decreased so I wasn't able to finish everything on my plate, but maybe that's for the best. Bea suggested that we go to karaoke (how could I say no to that?), so she and I went and sang for an hour while Yoonkyung went off to get some things done.

I didn't do anything special after we got back. I mostly sat in my room and surfed the internet until it was time to meet Yoonkyung and Bea again. The two of us decided to accompany Yoonkyung to her appointment at the hair salon. It was surprising for me to see more men than women working in the hair salon, but hey, whatever floats your boat, right? I see a lot of men in Japan doing what would be considered a "woman's" job in America, and I'm glad. Do what you love, I say! And to hell with what people think. I'm glad that Japan doesn't have so much of a guy/girl stereotype.

Bea had to leave before she could see Yoonkyung's new haircut because she was going to have dinner with her teacher, so I was the first to see it. I think it suits her-- and it's super cute!

After finishing at the hair salon, Yoonkyung and I went to eat dinner at a 500 yen restaurant (everything on the menu was only 500 yen!). It was absolutely delicious and really cheap considering how much food we got. Yoonkyung critized me for not eating my onsen tomago (my egg), but I really don't like the taste of eggs when they're cold.

Once we had eaten dinner, the two of us went to church. Yoonkyung was leading worship so I had decided to come and help her sing. I think it went pretty well, and I always enjoy going to church because it relaxes me. Afterwards, Yoonkyung and I walked back to campus and said our good byes.

>>

Thursday was not so nice. Well, okay, that's a lie. It started out pretty nice, but ended on a sour note. In the morning I went to Japanese class (of course). Then I ate lunch in the cafeteria with Bea before going to Yoonkyung's office to study. After I studied kanji for an hour and a half, I went to my volleyball class, which was a lot better than last week because our teacher actually gave us water breaks. Later on after class had finished, I met with Yoonkyung so we could go to play volleyball with some people she knew. Yes, more volleyball. The gym we went to was a little out of the way (it was about fifteen minutes by bike), but we had a lot of fun. A lot of guys came to play so it was difficult to compete, but everyone laughed the whole time and I actually didn't do too bad so I was proud of myself. I've improved a lot since the time that I played in high school!

The night turned sour towards the end though. I went to dive for the ball and ended up banging my left knee pretty hard on the floor. Of course it hurt in that moment, but I figured I would just shake it off and I would be fine.

We biked to Konami to take a shower after three hours of playing volleyball. (Taking a shower at Konami meant we wouldn't have to pay for it on our dorm's water bill. Smart thinking, Yoonkyung.) By the time I got out of the shower though, my knee was hurting a lot worse-- to the point where I couldn't completely straighten it or put pressure on it without experiencing pain. No big deal, I thought. I probably just bruised something.

Once Yoonkyung and I showered, we walked to a cheap izakaya to eat dinner. Everything on the menu was 270 yen, so we ordered a lot of different things until we were satisfied. Hana chan even came to join us because she had just gotten off work. We were there for about an hour before we decided to get up and leave.

That's what caused me the most trouble. Standing up was almost impossible because straightening my leg hurt like hell. That's when I started to worry. Walking back to campus was painful. I had to lean heavily on my bike and use it like a crutch. I could tell that Yoonkyung and Hana chan were worried too so we stopped at a convenience store to buy me some ice. They walked me all the way back to my room to make sure I was okay and Bea joined us in my room shortly after. Originally, Bea and I were going to go to Kyoto the next morning, but once she saw how much pain I was in we nixed the plan completely. Going to Kyoto would have meant walking all day long, something I wasn't up for. It's really disappointing that we can't go, but it's probably for the best...

So, that was the end to an otherwise fun day. Of course, it's the same knee that I hurt in high school playing soccer, so I was more than a little annoyed by it. Seems like I need to slow down and relax a bit. I need to pull myself together. At least I have some good friends who will take care of me until I feel better.

Thanks, Bea and Yoonkyung. You two are the best.



06.27-28.11 Apple Muffin Goodness

I see that I have started progressing to one post for every two days. This is probably due to the fact that I have become increasingly busy-- and also increasingly lazy.

Oh, Monday. I went to Japanese class as per usual, had lunch with Bea, Yoonkyung, and Hana, and then went to Budou. We are learning more set scenarios for kendo, which will lead up to our final class performance. They are basically choreographed "fight" scenes, but a lot more elegant. Bea and I had a hard time memorizing the steps for some reason (the intense heat being one), but eventually managed to do them right. After class, we went to gym where we were still playing volleyball. Thankfully, it was better than the first time we played, but still no where near as good as my actual volleyball class.

I was absolutely exhausted by the time I finished classes so I went back to my room to vegetate. I really don't think I did anything productive. Of course, I had planned to study, but that idea went up in flames as I got lost on Youtube and Stumbleupon. (If you don't know what stumbleupon is, it's probably for your own good.) Around 8:30, Bea and I decided to go to Konami, so at least I got a work out in. Afterwards, I met Yoonkyung just to chat. We ended up staying up later than we had intended, but I really enjoy our conversations so I was glad we got the chance to talk.

>>>

Tuesday was a compartively better day. I got up and went to my Indian Dance class. We got to make a new dance by using the dances we first created in pairs and combining them with other groups' dances. It was pretty interesting, but it didn't take long for me to start sweating up a storm thanks to the intense humidity. By the time we started practicing our Indian dance routine, I was basically a sweat fountain so I decided to go straight back to my room to shower instead of going to lunch. Of course, I was extremely tired from staying up late and from exerting myself in class, so I took a nap instead of eating.

I woke up to a call from Yoonkyung reminding me that I had class at 2:40, but I was feeling extremely hungry and drowsy so I decided to take the time to eat and ended up skipping class. I wasn't completely unproductive though, because I spent a good four hours studying kanji in Yoonkyung's office. By then, we were both tired and more than a little bit hungry so we decided to go get some food and a few things that I needed.

This is where things got interesting. I had assumed that Yoonkyung rode her bike to school so I brought my bike to her office so we could ride them together. However, it turned out that she didn't have her bike. I figured we would walk, but she said it wasn't a problem-- we would just ride my bike. Um, what? Two people on one bike? She assured me it wasn't a big deal though, and trusting her, I let her drive while I rode on the back of my bike. The experience was... exciting, to say the least. It was difficult to drive straight with two people (I couldn't do it), but Yoonkyung managed pretty well while I held on for dear life. We go a few strange looks from the people we passed, but Yoonkyung and I laughed the whole way to the supermarket.

I bought milk because I wanted to make some muffins that night by using the apple muffin mix my friends had sent me for my birthday. After buying what I needed, Yoonkyung suggested that we buy some takoyaki for dinner. Of course, I was all for that, so we stopped at a takoyaki stand near another supermarket that we sometimes go to. The man running the stand was friendly and made small talk with us while we waited for our food. Turns out that he was only twenty years old, but was working full time and learning how to make takoyaki. I had a laugh when he tried to guess who was the older out of the two of us. He thought that I was the older one, so I got to tease Yoonkyung about that afterwards. The best part of all was when he decided to give us ten takoyaki free because they weren't fresh anymore (but still warm). So, Yoonkyung I ended up with 16 pieces of takoyaki for only 350 yen. We made out like bandits!

With dinner and milk in hand, we returned to my dorm to eat and to invite Bea to join us in the kitchen. I successfully made apple muffins! However, it took me two tries to get it right because the instructions on the package were less than clear. The first time I put too much milk in the batter so it became soupy, but Bea saved it by adding flour and eggs so we could make apple pancakes (yum!). I was happy that everyone thought the muffins I made were delicious. Hana chan even stopped by after she got off of work so she could eat some. While we were eating, we found The Dark Knight (my favorite movie of all time) on the television (in English with Japanese subtitles), so we stayed up to watch it. Everyone ended up going home around 1:00 in the morning, but I went to bed satisfied.

I am thankful for my friends <3

06.26.11 Squeezing

Today was a good day. The best thing is, it wasn't that different from any other Sunday. For some reason though, I was very happy and content when I went home for the night.

It started out normally. I went to church. Even though the ESS musical was scheduled to start at 1:00, the first half of church ended at 12:30 so I figured I could make it on time. Church was just what I needed. The message was exactly what I needed to hear, and it always makes me feel prepared to start the week. I left quickly from church, but still managed to be a bit late when I arrived to shool. I felt bad for making my group worry, but at least we weren't performing first!

The musicals were so much fun! The first group performed Kiki's Delivery Service. I wasn't sure how they could make it into a musical, but they managed pretty well. They did a great job and it was really cool to see the props they made. After the first group, my group performed The Little Mermaid. I was so proud of everything we accomplished. Everyone perforrmed perfectly and I had fun being Sebastian (crab walk included). I might be biased, but I thought our group did the best ;) The last group (Bea's group), did High School Musical. I was really impressed by how they included every song and dance from the movie, but on the other hand, the English pronounciation of the members' was the worst out of all the groups. Even so, they did their very best and by the time all was said and done, I could tell everyone had a lot of pride for the work we had done.

Unfortunately, I had planned to hang out with Yoonkyung, Hana, and Seong Hi (spelling?) after church so I ended up leaving the musical early and didn't find out who won the individual awards for the competition. (I still don't know the results, but I plan on finding out from Bea soon.) It probably looked bad that I had come late and was leaving early, but I really wanted to go shopping with the girls because I badly needed some shorts.

We went to a big mall nearby, the same one that Bea, Yoonkyung, Hana and I had went to when we saw Pirates of the Caribbean. Tokunaga san, an older man from church, drove us. He's been driving us to church for the past few weeks and always seems willing to take us any place that we need to go. He waited while we went to Uni Glo, a very popular store in Japan for it's good quality clothes and cheap prices. I was able to buy two new pairs of shorts (hallelujah), and I happy to say that they fit me perfectly. Once everyone had found what they came for, we met up again and Tokunaga san treated us to lunch at an all-you-could-eat buffet. We stuffed ourselves with as much food as we could before making the drive back to Yoonkyung's dorm.

I hung out with Yoonkyung and Hana in the parlor of their dorm. We watched Japanese TV and got to talk about some things. It was nice to just talk with them again. I feel like Yoonkyung has been super busy with her part time job lately, so we haven't really gotten to sit down and talk like we used to. Around 11:00 I finally got back to my dorm, but of course, didn't sleep right away.

Staying up late, squeezing every minute out of every day-- this is what I live for.

Loving life right now. <3

06.24-25.11 Summer is Here

Summer has arrived in Nara, Japan-- and boy, is it HOT. Hot AND humid. And yes, people are still wearing long sleeves and pants here. I don't know how they do it.

Bea and I rode our bikes down to the city hall on Friday morning to work out some kinks in our health insurance bills. They had originally charged me for a year, but because I am only living in Japan until mid August I now only have to pay about 5,000 yen instead of 20,000 yen. Hooray! Bea was able to clear up the misunderstanding with her bill, too, so we were both pretty happy by the time we went to lunch. We stopped at the restaurant we went to together some time ago (the fast food place that is popular for it's gyudon.) Once we were both stuffed, we returned to school and went to class.

I actually listened in Inoue sensei's class (shocking, I know), but it's really because I felt guilty for skipping Inoue sensei's other class on Monday. Plus, we don't have class next Friday so I figured I might as well apply myself to learning something. After we got out of class, Yoonkyung and I met Bea and walked to Paket to buy some ice cream. I figured this was a fitting way to deal with the suddenly hot weather we were having. I think a month of cold rain spoiled me because I am totally dying in the heat and it's only the second day we've had it!

We gorged ourselves on ice cream, and it was good, but then I had to get serious. I spent some time studying in Yoonkyung's room until I had to meet Aron, a Chinese graduate student who is going to have me check her master thesis for her (yes, it is written in English.) We met for maybe twenty minutes to discuss what she wanted me to do and how much she would pay me (and yes, she is paying me.) I'm really happy to say that I will be getting 1,000 yen an hour for editing her paper. That's 1,000 yen per hour more than what I have now, so no complaints from me!

Once we finished our discussion, I studied for a bit longer in Yoonkyung's office and then returned to my room to do... absolutely nothing the rest of the night. Seriously, I was on the internet the whole time. Although I did manage to get my laundry done, so that was a plus. I also bought (and ate) some onigiri that Yoonkyung and Bea recommended. They were delicious and filling so I think I will buy them more often. Speaking of food, Yoonkyung and I managed to work out our differences concerning eating. Previously, I was annoyed that she asked me everyday if I had eaten, etc., but she explained that the queston is actually a common greeting among Koreans and wasn't meant to insult me. Now that I know where she was coming from, it doesn't bother me anymore. (And I really should try to eat a little better so I am going to try harder from now on.)

>>>

Today was another hot one. Unfortunately, I had soccer practice in over 90 degree weather with 70% humidity. Yikes. Luckily, we drank a lot of water and took breaks inbetween drills, but it was still pretty painful. I could tell that no one really wanted to be there. We practiced from 1:30 to 5:00 (as usual) so you can imagine that I was pretty much dead by the time we finished. The good news is that I am now a few shades darker than yesterday. I also learned that I won't be able to participate in our big game next month since I am an exchange student. It really sucks because I am pretty sure that is the last game of the semester so I have basically been practicing just for the heck of it. Oh well, at least I am staying in shape, right?

After soccer practice I ate, showered, and took a short nap before going to the last ESS musical practice (hallelujah). We basically ran through everything as if it were the real thing, but I feel like my group still isn't ready. Even so, I am not that concerned. I'm just happy that it will be over with after tomorrow.

I met up with Bea after we both finished with our respective groups and we went to the cheap Italian restaurant by Nara train station called Sazeria (spelling?). I like it because the food tastes good, but is affordable. We got full meals for around 700 yen each, talked for a bit, and then returned to the dorm.

Today was absolutely exhausting because of the heat. I hate when I go outside and immediately start sweating! Plus, the sun makes me a lot more tired than the rain does. However, now that is is officially summer, I don't think I can really avoid it. It just means I have to buy some more weather appropriate clothes, but again, that takes money. Sunday is just an hour away, and my last full month in Japan is fast approaching. I need more time and energy-- help!

06.22-23.11 Back to Normal

I really didn't feel like writing in my blog yesterday because 1. the day sucked, and 2. it was completely normal. Everything in comparison to my birthday just seems so... well, boring.

I woke up early even though I went to bed late, so I lazed around my room until lunch time. I met up with Hana, Bea, and Yoonkyung, but Yoonkyung was in a bad mood because she hadn't gotten much sleep and didn't do well in her meeting for her seminar class. It was one of the few times that I had seen Yoonkyung cranky so it depressed me.

After lunch, I went with Bea to Tully's so we could study some Japanese together. The coffee should have made me feel better, but I couldn't focus the entire time we were there. Sometimes I really think I am ADD.

Three hours passed quickly at Tully's, and from there we returned to school to attend a Sado activity (another cultural experience for exchange students.) Sado is the name for the Japanese tea ceremony, another traditional art of Japan that has a strong tie to the time of the samurai. It was interesting, but because ten people came to the session, we repeated the same process ten times, something that I felt was tedious. It didn't help that I was hungry the entire time we were there. Immediately after the two hours had passed, I returned to my dorm to eat a little bit and take a nap.

I woke up from my nap with an awful stomach ache. Even so, I had promised to go to the gym with Yoonkyung and Bea so I went, although reluctantly. Exercise only made me feel worse, however. I'm surprised I didn't throw up on the way out the door. Because I wanted something to settle my stomach, we swung by McDonalds on our way home and I ate something small. Thankfully, I felt much better afterwards.

Bea and I said goodbye to Yoonkyung, who was still rather gloomy. When we got back to our dorm, Bea and I ended up talking until early in the morning about this and that. It made me a little happier just having someone to talk to, but it didn't change the fact that the day was less than perfect.

>>

Today was also very, very normal, albeit the hottest day in Japan since I've been here (I felt like I was back in NC!). Bea and I went to Japanese together and then we met Yoonkyung for lunch at Ichizoku, my favorite cheap restaurant. I was happy to see that Yoonkyung's mood had improved 100% from the day before. It automatically made me a lot happier. We ate until we were all full and then went to Tully's for some coffee. From there, I went to my volleyball class where I turned in my report and played volleyball in the sticky heat of the gym.

When volleyball finished I had a little bit of time before I went to ESS musical practice, something I haven't attended in two weeks. I think I will be relieved when it is over with because I seem to be getting busier everyday and don't have time to spend on it. I left practice a little early so I could eat a snack before going to the gym with Bea and Yoonkyung. I worked hard and sweated up a storm, which left me feeling ravenous when we left. I know I didn't eat much today, but it still annoys me when Yoonkyung and Bea got on my case for not cooking my own meals. I don't have the time or money to be making full scale meals for myself everyday. It's not like I am trying to avoid eating, I'm just a busy person.
Yeah, I won't go into it more because it will just make me irritated. In any case, these past two days were hot, tiring, and ultimately paled in comparison to Tuesday, but I guess that is to be expected.

I just hope things improve soon because I have less than two months left in Japan and I don't want to waste a single day.

06.20-21.11 Birthday Shenanigans

I think it is safe to say that this was the best birthday I have ever had. Everyone I know really went out of their way to make me feel special. I found myself continuously amazed at the thoughtfulness of my new friends, and ultimately humbled by the kindness everyone has shown me since I've been in Japan.

My Monday started out normally enough. I met with Bea in the morning and went to Japanese. Then we ate lunch and went to budou. Afterwards, we both decided to skip Inoue sensei's gym class so we could go shopping. (I didn't want to sit through another painful day of volleyball.) While we were out shopping I bought some new tights and food that I needed and Bea bought some things in preparation for my birthday party that we were going to have the next day.

Later in the afternoon, I got ready to go to Ena's house. Bea and I both went to meet her around 6:30 and she showed us the way to her apartment. I had forgotten where it was since I hadn't been there since April. When we got there, Maki was already waiting for us. She and Ena had prepared an amazing array of Japanese "toppings" for what I now call Japanese tacos. Basically, you take a sheet of nori, put rice on it, then add anything you want and roll it into a sort of cone. The result is amazingly delicious. Apparently, this particular food is common for Japanese to make in their homes, but it isn't something you will generally find in restaurants. While we were eating, Ena presented me with "red rice." I was told that it is generally eaten on birthdays or other celebrations.

As we ate, more people arrived. I knew everyone who came because they were all in my Sports Science class. Once everyone had gathered together (seven in total), Ena gave me my birthday present that she and Maki had bought for me. It was a takoyaki maker! Now I can make takoyaki on my own! I was pleasantly surprised by the gift. I'm really excited to try it out.

I was still stoked about the takoyaki maker when my next surprise was revealed: a six layer cake that Maki and Ena had made! The cake was made from thick pancakes, and each layer had something different. There was anko (red bean paste), banana, raisin, kiwi, and pineapple. I was really impressed that they went through the trouble to make such an elaborate cake for me.

It was huge!

Together, we were able to devour the cake. Afterwards, everyone lounged about and watched television so we could digest. Around 11 PM, everyone left Ena's. Because it wasn't midnight yet, Bea and I decided to buy some drinks at the convenience store and go visit Yoonkyung in her office. She had been working on her research all night because it would be due the morning after my birthday and she wanted to go out with me on Tuesday. I felt bad that she couldn't come to Ena's party, so at least wanted to have a toast with her and Bea at midnight.

It was a good thing that we all met up because Bea, Yoonkyung, and I had some things to talk about. Over the past few days tension had been building over some misunderstandings so we were able to clear things up. (I was relieved because I really didn't want any drama on my birthday!) At midnight, we toasted to my new year. Being with my two closest friends was really the perfect way to start the day <3


>>>>

So, on to my actual birthday! Unfortunately, I did have class in the morning, but Ena and Yoonkyung were both in it with me so I had a lot of fun. We added more on to our Indian dance routine. I think we are just about finished learning the choreography. Now all we have to do is practice and put it all together! It's actually pretty awesome so I can't wait to perform it at the end of the semester.

At lunch, it was just Bea and I who ate together because Yoonkyung had some other things to do. From the cafeteria we returned to the dorm where I had some pleasant surprises waiting for me. My friend Andria from Greensboro sent me some birthday presents and they arrived in the mail! Also, my new Japanese friend Akiko dropped off some snacks and sweets for me since she wouldn't be able to come to the party that night. I was super excited to receive Toy Story and a jumbo coloring book from Andria! My friends really know how to make me smile. : )

At 2:40 I went to Beginner's Japanese. Apparently I still need to make some more corrections to my presentation's script, which is super annoying, but I am determined to make it the very best that it can be! We did some fun activities in class, including a game called "shiritori," which is when you use the last syllable of a word and use it to make a new word, and so on. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. We had to do this game using only kanji, and each round had a different rule. It was incredibly mind boggling.

Class went by fast thanks to the games we played, and I immediately met up with Hana afterwards so we could finally go and take some purikura together. I had dressed up for this reason and was feeling pretty good, especially since the weather was nice. (The weather forecast had predicted rain, but it was sunny and hot all day!) Purikura was a lot of fun-- I'm going to miss it when I go back to America!

Because I still had some time before my party would start I went back to my room and watched the Toy Story DVD that Andria had sent me. Around 7:00 I went to the kitchen on my floor and began making preparations. People slowly began filing in. Rina and her friend Midori came by first, and Chan and Kana shortly followed. Bea came right after them. Most people brought sweets or drinks to share so we had to wait for Hana and Yoonkyung to arrive before we could actually eat. They came a little late because they had to prepare everything, but the food was worth the wait. I loooooooove when Yoonkyung cooks Korean food, and this time was no exception. I ate a ton of food, and, of course, I had to have one or two alcoholic beverages in the spirit of my 21st birthday.

The food, drinks, and good company was enough to make me incredibly happy-- but then I got to open my presents and I was ridiculously happy. Both Yoonkyung and Bea made me cakes, Chan gave me a framed purikura picture that we had taken together, Hana bought me some adorable socks (PANDA!), and Yoonkyung bought me a really cute shrug that I had tried on at Vivre before, but didn't have the money to buy. They all wrote me very thoughtful notes, too, which really meant a lot to me. <3

The party wrapped up around 11 PM. I gave everyone enthusiastic hugs before dragging Yoonkyung, Bea, Hana, and Rina off to go to karaoke. I was more than a little buzzed when we got there so I didn't sing all that much, but I enjoyed listening to everyone and chiming in when appropriate. Before I knew it, it was already 3 AM. Since half of the people had class or some other commitment in the morning we decided it was time to go home.

I remember how I was worried that my birthday wouldn't be fun because I was in Japan and away from all my friends and family, but now I see that I have friends and family here, too. I don't know why I even thought for a second that my birthday wouldn't be fun. Because of everyone's combined efforts it really was the best birthday I have ever had.

Thanks so much, everybody. It meant the world to me.

chuu~~ xoxoxoxo

06.19.11 Monday already?!

This weekend went by way too fast (but what else is new?). Of course, I got up and went to church like usual. I sang with the worship team, listened to the message, performed in the skit we practiced last night (it was awesome), ate salad udon (it was interesting), and prayed. In the midst of praying, Yoonkyung shared some of her past history that had been burdening her, mainly family troubles. I showed her a passage God had given me earlier in the service. It was Matthew 6:25-34, which talks about being anxious for nothing and trusting God to provide (not a coincidence!). After prayer we practiced worship for next week.

Once we were done with church, I briefly went shopping with Yoonkyung and Seong Hi (spelling?), another girl from church who serves on the worship team with us. I bought a few things I needed at Vivre and then returned to my room to do homework. I spent the better part of the day working on my volleyball report and editing my presentation for Beginner's Japanese. Good news though-- I finished both of them! That means I can celebrate my birthday worry free-- hooray! The celebrations start tomorrow with the party Ena is throwing for me. I'm really looking forward to it : )

Sorry this post is so short and boring. Today was all business.

06.18.11 Soaked

I had a soccer game today. In theory, it should have been a lot of fun, but I had to be at the field by 12:30 to help set up, and then we practiced/warmed up until 2:30. At 2:30, we finally started our game. We played some of the teachers from our school along with some younger guys who looked like they could have been in college. In short, we got our asses handed to us. For one thing, we were really unorganized, and for another, it rained on and off the entire time. By the end of the match it was downpouring. I was too soaked and tired to even want to move. We lost by enough points that I didn't bother to remember the score, and afterwards were lectured by Kai sensei, our club advisor.

Felt kind of like this

I didn't get back to my room until about 5:45 so I was absolutely starving. I showered and ate some ramen, but then I had to rush out the door to meet Yoonkyung and Hana so we could go to church. We came up with a skit that we are performing tomorrow for Father's Day so we had to practice. Of course, we got to eat dinner at church: delicious curry rice with kimchi. Then we ran through the skit a couple of times. I am the main character (not sure why), but luckily my lines aren't too difficult. (We're basically performing a modern version of the story of the prodigal's son). I got to be silly and have fun so it was a good stress reliever. Everyone complimented me on my acting skills, and I was reminded of when I was a part of Kidstuf at Daystar (my church's drama team.) I've definitely missed perforrming!

We finished a little after 9 PM, but I wasn't ready to go back to my room just yet so Yoonkyung and I found an old American movie on the television in her dorm and watched it. I like watching English movies with Japanese subtitles because I can practice my reading and still understand what is going on.

In any case, I got back around 11 PM. Now it's time to get some rest because tomorrow is going to be completely occupied by church and the homework I have been putting off...

06.17.11 Two Months

Two months from today, I will be going back to the US. It's really strange knowing that I am more than half way done with my study abroad exchange. I still feel like I just got here, probably because there is still a lot I don't know. It's depressing to know I won't have more time to spend with all of my new friends, so I want to stay positive and not waste a single day!

The day started out pretty well. I ate lunch with Maki and Ena and discussed my birthday party plans. I am really excited for the party they are throwing for me now because we will be making takoyaki and hot cakes at Ena's. (If you recall, Ena's house was the first place I ever ate takoyaki.) There are also planning to take me to a nearby onsen. I am totally down for that!

In class I didn't really pay much attention to the lecture. I know it's bad, but I have such a hard time focusing on what Inoue sensei says. I will try to do better... next time.

After class I wanted to get coffee so I texted Bea to see if she wanted to go with me, but she was busy doing something else. I decided not to study in Yoonkyung's office and instead went back to my room with the intent of getting started on my paper for volleyball.

Five hours later I had taken a nap, eaten dinner, done laundry, and surfed Youtube, but I had not so much as touched my volleyball report. I waited for Yoonkyung to get done with her part time job so we could go to the gym at 9:00. At least that was productive. We got to see Bea there, but only for a moment. Because she was busy today she wanted to go at a time that best fit her schedule.

When I got home from the gym I was treated to a large package from my best friend in Greensboro. She had sent me a box of stuff for my birthday, which cost her a steep $60 to send me (ouch!). If that's not love, I don't know what is. I was incredibly happy to find apple muffin and brownie mix inside, along with a few other things that had personal meaning. Michelle, thanks so much for going out of your way to do all of that for my birthday! It really made me feel special!

Apple Muffin Tuesday FTW

So, although my day was relatively unproductive, it was relaxing, which was something that I needed. Some days I just want to shut myself in my room and not interact with people (not in the anti-social way though). I'm sure by next week I will be ready to go out and party with my friends, but for now I am enjoying some peace and quiet.

06.16.11 This is the Day

Today was pretty miserable, but I only had myself to blame for it. It was also the first day it rained all week, which I found ironic.

I stayed up until 8:30 in the morning because I couldn't sleep. Which, of course, made me extremely tired. I opted not to go to my Japanese class because of it, so I gave Bea my homework to turn in and went to bed. I slept until around 1:00 in the afternoon and groggily got up to eat a snack and get ready to go to class. I begrudgingly went to volleyball, my least favorite class to go to. It was even worse today because only ten other people showed up. This meant that we only had two teams, so we played eachother for an hour and a half-- straight. (Of course this would happen on the day when I didn't get any sleep.)

After class was over I showered and ate, then layed back down to sleep some more. I slept for another three hours before Yoonkyung texted me. We had planned to get coffee earlier in the day, but she had her part time job so we ended up going to a place I haven't been before called "Mello Cafe" around 8:00 PM. I was ravenously hungry, having only ate some ramen after class, so I ordered some Italian style pizza that was actually cooked in a wood burning stove (it was pretty delicious). We were going to drink coffee, but seeing as I didn't sleep last night I thought it would be better to avoid caffeine so late in the day. We both ordered tiramisu parfaits instead. I think we made the right choice.

After we were both stuffed, I got to talk to Yoonkyung about some things that I had been bothering me, one of which being that I am somewhat bummed to be away from my family and friends on my birthday, especially on my 21st birthday, a day that is pretty important in American culture, but isn't all that special in Japan. Yoonkyung really encouraged me by telling me about her experiences with birthdays abroad. She also told me that a lot of people were planning things for me, and that because this would be the only year I would have a birthday in Japan, it would be more special than any other birthday. "We won't be there on your birthday next year, so the most important thing is to have a good attitude!" she told me. She is absolutely right, of course. Now I feel bad for moping! I have a lot of friends here who are going to do their best to make my birthday special, and all I can think about are the people back home. Pretty selfish of me I think!

She also pointed out that my mood goes up and down a lot, which I've always known, but still. It's probably the one trait that I hate the most about myself. I've always been a pretty emotional person, so I can be pretty childish at times. I really want to work hard to change that and to focus on God and others, not on myself.

All in all, even though the day started out pretty badly, it ended on a hopeful note. Thanks again, Yoonkyung. Your words really convicted me tonight. Tomorrow is a new day, and I will be happy because it is the day the Lord has made!

Psalm 118: 24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

06.15.11 A Million Things

Oh, Wednesday. Since when did my day of rest become so tiresome?

My day was as follows:

1. Wake up at the crack of dawn for no apparent reason.
2. Skype best friend for several hours.
3.Go to Konami with Yoonkyung and Bea. Swim for an hour. Have a nice conversation with an 71 year old man in the pool who apparently thought you were Japanese until you took off your goggles. Then he thought you were Italian and was surprised when you said you're American.
4. Eat lunch next to Kintetsu Nara station at the same place from last week. Order something better than before, but still choose the meal with tofu. Give said tofu to Bea and Yoonkyung. Perfect.
5. Waste time in Yoonkyung's office.
6. Meet Hana and her friends to discuss how American culture differs from Japanese culture. Have fun, but fail at speaking Japanese-- as per usual.
7. Go to soccer practice for three hours. Repeat: three frickin' hours. Leave looking like you jumped in a pool.
8. Shower.
9. Go to Yoonkyung's to eat homemade Okonomiyaki.

10. Then devour muffins that your Love Love Hana chan bought you.

11. Watch Japanese television.
12. Cuddle Hana chan, the cutest Asian girl you ever did see.
13. Look at old Puri Kura pictures of Yoonkyung.
14. Marvel at how different she looks in just a few years time, then scold her for not dressing more like a lady when she's so beautiful.
15. Get kicked out of Yoonkyung's room with the instructions to go to bed early.
16. Lay down at 11:00 PM.
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1,000,000,000. Get up at 3:00 AM to chat with the best friend because a million things are on your mind. Don't actually get to sleep until 8:30 AM.

Fail, Wednesday. Fail.

06.14.11 No Apple Muffins For Me

If you don't eat apple muffins on Tuesday, it's not a good Tuesday.

I did not eat any apple muffins.

I started off the day by going to my Indian Dance class. It didn't take long for me to realize that it isn't the best class to skip. (If you recall, last week I went to Osaka on Tuesday.) We had learned a lot more steps so I had to struggle to keep up. In the end though, I was able to learn everything that I had missed. The dance is becoming more and more intricate as we add on new segments. I am really interested to see how it will look in the end.

After class was over, I went with Bea and Yoonkyung to a new restaurant by our school called Sakura Burger. Even though it was somewhat expensive, the burgers were large and tasted just like American burgers. I was really impressed. The even had real American mustard and ketchup! It was funny watching Yoonkyung and Bea try to eat their burgers. They had the messiest ones on the menu I think.

Immediately after lunch, I became extremely tired so I decided to take a nap before my next class. In Beginner's Japanese our presentation's scripts were returned to us with some corrections and suggestions. Luckily, I didn't have too many on mine since Yoonkyung helped me edit already. We only had three people come to class though, which was somewhat daunting. I got a lot of practice during our writing and reading exercises though, which was good, and our sensei decided to end class early.

Even though I was still incredibly sleepy after class, it was too early to go to bed so I started to do homework and study. I basically finished my Thursday homework and then I started to study kanji. Around 9 PM my attention span was waning, so I decided to go to Yoonkyung's office to study instead. I always focus better when I don't study in my room. By midnight I couldn't study anymore so I sleepily returned to the dorm.

I'm not sure why I was tired all day, or why my body seemed to ache for no apparent reason. It could be "girl" issues, or possibly from stress (which is more likely). Either way, it sucked.

However, my birthday is next Tuesday! I better have some apple muffins by then.

06.13.11 Hooray for New Friends!

Today was the first time in a while that I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. Even though I only slept for four hours, I was wide awake. I think it had something to do with the anxiety I have over homework.

Anyway, I decided to be productive instead of trying to go back to sleep. I took out my trash and worked on Thursday's homework for a couple of hours before getting ready for class. Japanese wasn't too bad today, but I found out that we will have a huge test at the end of the semester. I am kind of worried about it, but I don't want to think about it too much because it will stress me out. At lunch, Bea and I ate with Hana and Yoonkyung. From there, the three of us went to Budou class where we are still doing kendo. At least this time around we are using wooden katanas so it is a bit more interesting than the usual shinai. On the other hand, Inoue sensei's class afterwards was horribly boring. We started doing volleyball, but unlike my actual volleyball class, no one really knew how to play so it was painfully difficult. It was so bad that I might just skip class next week.

Once class was over, Bea went with me to Packet so I could do some grocery shopping. I literally had nothing left in my fridge so I had no choice but to go today. After I got back, I went to meet up with a girl named Akiko. She will be going to UNCG for two semesters starting in August so the International Student Office gave her my information so she could contact me. The two of us went out to dinner and got to talk about many different things. Initially, we spoke in Japanese, but we ended up switching back and forth between English and Japanese while we were eating. Akiko seemed like a very nice girl, and I am super excited that she will be coming to Greensboro! I plan on introducing her to my UNCG PAL from Kyoto, so hopefully the three of us can hang out in the fall. It was a relief that we got along so well, and I was happy that I got the chance to answer some of her questions and put her at ease. Hooray for new friends!

When I was done having dinner with Akiko, Bea and I went to Konami to work out. Because I had eaten a lot beforehand, it was a little more difficult to run than usual, and my lack of sleep left me extremely tired by the time I finished. Before going back to my dorm, I stopped in Yoonkyung's office so she help edit my presentation's script for Beginner's Japanese. She told me that about 60% of what I wrote was correct, which means that I still have a long way to go. I was extremely grateful for her help though.

I am really lucky to have met so many kind people during my short time here. I hope I continue to make more friends who I can keep in touch with. <3
   

06.12.11 Greater Things

Today at church I had the chance to meet a high school student named Tatsuo who just returned from spending a year in the USA. He went to a boarding school is Austin, Texas. I was impressed at how fluent he was in English. His pronounciation was amazing! At first I was a bit jealous of him, but it just goes to show that I can also become fluent in Japanese-- in time.

Church was powerful today. During our prayer time, I gave my testimony. I was incredibly blessed to have Yoonkyung translate what I said into Japanese for me. I felt like I didn't have much of a testimony to give-- I was born into a Christian family so I have known Jesus all my life, but I was able to share some of what God has been saying to me lately. For one thing, everyone worships God differently, but that's okay. God created us all different, so our worship shouldn't be the same! I love going to different churches and seeing how people praise Him. The other thing God has really been impressing on me is that I will be returning to Japan in the near future. I am not sure if missionary work is what He has in mind for me, but I am ready and willing to follow wherever he leads. My soul has been stirring ever since I arrived in Japan, and I can tell that greater things are yet to be done in this country. The Lord is ready to move here! I feel His Spirit and it is incredibly exciting! I definitely want to be in Japan when God pours his Spirit out.

When church was over, Yoonkyung and I went to an Italian cafe for coffee and to talk. We worked out some things for when we go to Korea and discussed our plans (or lack of them) for the future. I know that God brought me to Japan at this specific time for a reason, and I feel like Yoonkyung is part of that reason. I have very few people whom I consider close friends, but for reason, even though I've only known Yoonkyung for two months, she is like a sister to me. I guess that's what happens when you are part of God's family! It's deeply encouraging to have her at my side. If I hadn't met her I think I would be pretty lonely right now.

Because it was getting late and I hadn't done homework yet, I said goodbye to Yoonkyung so I could work on my presentation for Japanese. I've made a lot of progress, but it's still not finished, even though I spent close to five hours on it. The worst part of it is that I still have homework for my Thursday Japanese class and a paper to write for next week. I don't know how I will get it all done, but it looks like I need to crack down on myself a little bit more.

All play and no work makes Corrinne a stressed girl!

06.11.11 100th

This is my 100th post since I started my blog! Also, my birthday is in 10 days. Pretty sweet, huh?

In other news, I spent another fabulous day in Osaka. Bea, Chan, and I met at the entrance to our dorm a little before 9 AM so we could walk to the train station together. We happened to meet Kana on the way there, one of the Taiwanese girls that I met at Ikebana. Together, the four of us trekked through the pouring rain to Nara station. We arrived in Osaka a little before 10 AM where we met up with some other exchange students and two women from the International Student Center at the National Bunraka Theater of Osaka. Shortly after arriving, we were seated in a large theater where we got an explanation of Bunraka from the professionals, and were able to view a Bunraka play. Bunraku is another famous form of theater created by the Japanese. It's amazing how lifelike the pupeteers can make their puppets seem, especially since it takes three people to conduct one puppet! We got to see "Gojoubashi," a short scene where two samurai were fighting. Nothing is cooler than seeing two samurai puppets fight. Afterwards, we saw "Futatsudama," "Miuri," and "Hayano Kampei Harakiri," all of which were a part of one larger, tragic story.

By the time Bunraku was over it was 1:00. The women from the International Student Center encouraged us to have fun in Osaka, but also to by careful. Together with about five other girls, we set out first for food. Of course, we were in Osaka so we had to eat takoyaki. We went to a different place than where I went with Yoonkyung, but it was just as delicious. Not everyone was satisfied with just takoyaki though, so they went to eat ramen. One of the other Taiwanese girls didn't want to eat because she was meeting another friend for lunch later, so we walked around and talked while the others were in the restaurant. When everyone came back together again, we decided to split up once more. Bea, Chan, Kana, and I all decided we wanted to go shopping so we said goodbye and ventured out into Osaka's prolific shopping district.

We weaved in and out of every other shop, but I was particularly interested in buying some cute summer shoes. It didn't take me long to zero in on a super cute store called "Atta Girl." I ended up buying two pairs of shoes on sale for less than 2,000 yen each (less than $20!). Both pairs were extremely stylish, but I am absolutely in love with my green heels. Everyone else had something in particular they were shopping for. Bea and Kana both bought new purses, Bea bought shoes and clothes, I bought a cute shirt and some earphones, and Chan bought a case for her dictionary. Shopping like we did reminded me of the times I go shopping with my mom and my friends back home. It was so much fun!

Inbetween stores we stopped for dessert and ate some amazing parfaits. I've had some really delicious desserts in America, but no one beats Japan when it comes to style. Everything looked AND tasted amazing. After getting our sweets fix, we took some more purikura (of course!)

Although it seems like we didn't do much, we came home around 8 PM. I had planned to do homework when I got back, but knew that I was too tired to be productive, so I stopped by Hana's to show her what I had bought. She treated me to some Korean ramen since I hadn't eaten, and Yoonkyung arrived shortly after. The three of us hung out in Hana's room and watched some more Korean music videos and Hana also gave me some clothes that she can't wear because they are too big for her.

Overall, I'd say it was a very successful, exciting, spectacular day. : )
 

06.10.11 Homework? What's that?

Honestly, I was going to lament over how I didn't get anything done today, but I'd much rather talk about how awesome it was instead.

I met Yoonkyung and Hana for lunch at noon in the school cafeteria. Afterwards, Yoonkyung and I went to our Sports Law and Politics class. Thankfully, it went by quick today, but that might have had something to do with the fact that I was doodling in my notes most of the time. I know we were talking about the Moscow Olympics and the Cold War. Or something like that.

Once class was over, Yoonkyung and I went to Tully's cafe. Because it was raining, we couldn't resist singing "Americano," so we had no choice but to drink coffee. Since Tully's is connected to Vivre, we decided to have a look around once we were done with our drinks. I needed a new bag because my purse was on its last leg (literally, the strap was about to break because I have used it so much). I ended up buying a cute little backpack that a lot of the girls at school have. And, with Yoonkyung's persuasion, I tried on a cute shirt and bought that too. Although I don't have a lot of money to be spending, I decided I would consider it my birthday present to myself so I didn't feel guilty. It's super cute! I plan on wearing it tomorrow so maybe I will put a picture up later. From Vivre, Yoonkyung and I went our separate ways. I did my best to study and review some kanji before going to Konami with Bea and Yoonkyung later in the evening. At least my time at the gym I was productive. I biked for fifteen minutes, did the stair stepper for ten minutes, and ran hard for thirty-five minutes. (I ran 5 kilometers!)

When we had all finished our workoust, we went to McDonalds for some food and to chat. The night was still young by the time we left and I was feeling restless so Bea and I persuaded Yoonkyung to go to karaoke. Even though it was Friday, we were able to get a student discount so we sang (and danced) for two hours for only 1,170 yen a piece. I think by the time I leave Japan I will know all the major Korean pop groups thanks to Yoonkyung. Now she's got me hooked on 2NE1. We seriously danced hard enough to build up a sweat, and left the karaoke box a little after 1 AM. I was somewhat pissed to find that someone had taken my umbrella off of my bike because it was pouring rain when we got out, but that's what I get for not taking it inside with me!

Today was a lot of fun, and tomorrow I am going to see Bunraku in Osaka with Bea and some of the other international students. After I get back from that, I plan on locking myself in my room and finishing my Japanese project. No excuses!

06.09.11 An Ordinary Thursday

After two days of adventure, today seemed painfully boring.

I woke up late (naturally) and spent most of my morning chatting with my mom on skype. Then I went to Japanese class. Not much to say about that other than the fact that I have a ton of homework to do now. I quickly ate lunch with Bea and Rafael, then got some studying in before meeting Yoonkyung so I could book my flight to Korea. It's official-- I am going for five days in August with Yoonkyung! It should be fun, except that I am a little nervous about not knowing how to speak any Korean. After that, I had my volleyball class. It was painful today for two reasons: one, my team sucked, and two, I twisted my ankle and got a few new bruises from taking some dives. I guess it's what I get for gloating last week.

Once class was over, I devoted about three hours to studying, homework, and doing laundry. The sad thing is that I barely scratched the surface of what I needed to do. I primarily worked on my presentation for Beginner's Japanese, which requires me to make a powerpoint and talk about something familiar to me along with a current social problem in my country. It looks like this weekend is going to be mostly devoted to that. Luckily, around 9 PM, Bea invited me to go to the gym, so I took a break from work and went swimming for about an hour. It definitely cleared my head and made me feel a little better.

Shortly after I stopped by Hana's so I could give her some Hello Kitty socks I bought for her in Osaka. They were incredibly cute, so I knew she would like them. : ) Right now I am chatting with some friends from home via skype. I got an awesome letter from Andria today that included a heartfelt card, a coloring-book picture of Aladdin and Jasmine, Disney stickers, and some encouraging words from fortune cookies. She really knows how to make me smile. Totally made my day! go from ordinary to extraordinary. And now my electronic dictionary's carrying case is covered in Disney stickers <3 Hooray!

06.08.11 Ise-jingu

Around 11 AM today, I met up with Maki, Mao, Chan, and Hanako so we could make the long trip to Ise-jingu. Ise is the name of the town, and a jingu is basically a place where the Japanese go to pray to their ancestors, specifically people who have died in wars. Ise-jingu is the most famous jingu  because it is dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu, who, according to legend, created Japan. Her sacred mirror is also rumored to be kept in the shrine. Although there is some controversy surrounding jingu, they are a part of Japanese culture so I was interested in going to see it.

Because Ise was pretty far from Nara, we took the limited express train, which is more expensive than a normal train, but also much faster. It's kind of like taking a coach bus. The chairs were extremely comfortable, and there weren't many people so we were able to relax and talk freely with eachother. It took us about two hours to reach Ise, and from there we took a short bus ride to the old city that precedes the Ise Grand Shrine. We walked around the various shops, stopped to listen to some Japanese drums, and then ate udon for lunch. It was really fun to walk around because all of the buildings were in the old Japanese style and had been there for many years. We all ate street food on the walk up to the shrine and generally enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

Chan and I on the train

Mao and Maki

Hanako

When we finally reached the main gate to Ise-jingu, Maki instructed us on the proper etiquette for entering the shrine. We bowed at the entrance and proceded to walk for about twenty minutes through a series of gates and walkways until reaching the area where everyone was praying. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Maki asked if I was okay with visiting the shrine since I'm a Christian, but I assured her that it wasn't a problem. (I simply prayed to Jesus instead of... well, whoever the Japanese pray to.) We stood before a white curtain, and people tossed money into a bin before bowing twice, clapping twice, praying, and bowing one final time. Maki explained that the amount of yen you threw in would correspond to how many people you would have the chance to meet in that year(?). I didn't fully understand her explanation, so maybe I'm wrong. In any case, we all showed our respects before making the long walk back to the entrance. We saw a store where the temple sold special charms. You could buy them for a variety of things, such as health, success, relationships, etc. I didn't buy anything, but a couple of the other girls did. When we finally left the shrine area, we bowed one more time at the gate and returned to the old village to look around and visit the shops.

Udon restaurant

Main entrance to Ise Jingu

Good luck charms sold at the shrine

Some stores near the shrine

Area where the sun goddess' mirror is supposedly kept

By the time we left, everyone was tired from all the walking we did. Because we took the normal express train on the way home, it took us three hours to get back to Nara. I slept on and off the whole way back, and groggily returned to my dorm a little after 8 PM. From there, I met Bea and Yoonkyung so we could discuss our August travel plans. It's somewhat stressful to be thinking about August when it's only June, but since we have to buy plane tickets to Korea and what-not, we need to plan everything now. As I result, I didn't get any homework done, but there will be time for that later. At least, I hope so.

I was able to experience a very interesting part of Japanese culture today, and although I don't adhere to any Shinto beliefs, I was honored that my Japanese friends invited me to go.