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.
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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.
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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.
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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. : )
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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!
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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.
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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
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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
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
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