07.16-18.11 海の日

Thank God for this three day weekend. I definitely needed an extra day to relax (although to be honest, I didn't rest much.)

On Saturday I got up early to go to soccer practice. We made a trip to the Nara University of Education to practice with the girl's club team there. Although I really enjoyed the change of pace, it was blazing hot (35 degrees C) and I managed to get a few new scrapes and bruises to add to my collection. Once I was thoroughly beat up from practice, I showered and met Yoonkyung so we could go to lunch together. Then the two of us went back to her office so we could search for a hotel for when we go to Korea. We finally found one that was affordable, but we weren't able to book it on her computer due to technical difficulties so we would have to wait until the next day. In addition to looking for a hotel, we made an advertisement for our Indian Dance class. Our final performance is the week after next and we are inviting as many people as possible to come and watch. It's both exciting and nerve racking. I hope everything goes well! Because I was thoroughly exhausted from soccer, I returned to my room to take a nap before going late to ESS with Bea. We went to McDonald's afterwards (like usual), but I left early to take care of some laundry that I had to do.

Sunday was also pretty busy. I went to church in the morning with Yoonkyung and Hana chan, but because I had soccer (again) in the afternoon, I left around 1:00. At 2:00 we had a practice game. I don't know how we always manage to practice in the hottest part of the day, but the heat was practically unbearable. My entire body felt like it was on fire. I definitely got a shade or two darker as a result. By the time we finished our game it was almost 5 PM. After quickly showering and getting changed, I met Yoonkyung as she got back from church so we could eat takoyaki together. She had to go to her part time job after that though so I went back to my room and did absolutely nothing for the rest of the night. Around 1 AM I went over to Yoonkyung's dorm to wait for the Women's World Cup to start. America was facing off against Japan in the championships so I didn't want to miss it. Around 2 AM, Rina joined us. At 3:45 AM the game started. It was an amazing game, and America dominated most of the time, but the score didn't reflect it. At the end of regulation,  the score was 1-1. In overtime, America scored first, but Japan came back in the last minutes to tie it yet again. America lost in PKs, so I wasn't very happy. I got back to my room at 7 AM, cranky and exhausted. Thank goodness we had the day off. There was no way I would have been able to go to class after that. Why did we have Monday off, you ask? Well, it's national Beach Day in Japan. No, really. They have an entire day dedicated to the appreciation of the beach. Maybe this explains why there is a beach episode in every anime. Anyway, I digress.

Three hours later I was up again because I had promised to meet my friend Kimi for karaoke. Rina and Bea came too, as did two of Kimi's Japanese friends. Together, we sang for a total of six hours. Needless to say, I was even more exhausted by the time we finished. The fact that it was raining only made my lethargy worse. As soon as I got back to my room I passsed out for a good three hours. Then it was time to edit and practice my final presentation for Beginner's Japanese, which I will be presenting in class tomorrow. I probably should have practiced more, but I am not too worried about it. I can't believe there are only two weeks of class left. That means it's crunch time, especially since I haven't studied that much in the last few weeks...

07.12-15.11 Summer Festivities

This week has been absolutely jampacked with fun outings and shenanigans. Prepare yourself for a long post, because this one covers the last four days!

07.12
On Tuesday morning I woke up (begrudingly) and went to my Indian Dance class. Although I initially felt sick in the morning, I was glad that I went to class because I had a lot of fun preparing with my group and practicing for our final performance, which is only two weeks away! After class, Yoonkyung, Rina, and I met up with Bea in the lunch room. We ate and talked for a good hour or so, and Yoonkyung and I taught Rina the violent Korean games that we learned at church on Sunday (fun times). Afterwards, I showered and went to my Beginner's Japanese class where we started to practice for our presentations that we will be giving next week (aah!). Once I was done with classes for the day, I made plans to meet up with Yoonkyung and Rina in the evening. The three of us went out for dinner at the okonomiyaki restaurant that I went to with Maki, Yoonkyung, and Inoue sensei a while back. Hana chan joined us and we made a mini party out of it.

After everyone was full, we decided to walk Hana chan to where she was doing her part time job (a house near Todaiji temple). We walked with her because it was really dark outside. It would have been scary if she had to go by herself! Once we were sure Hana chan had made it safely to her destination, Yoonkyung, Rina, and I walked around the Todaiji area and ended up at Nigatsuto temple, which has the best view of the city. We stared out at Nara, which was spectacular to see at night because of the city lights. The three of us stood on the balcony for a while and talked about this and that before making our way slowly back towards school. None of us were ready to go home though, so we ended up going to karaoke. What we thought would be an hour or two turned into five hours, but because Yoonkyung had a 50% off coupon, we only had to pay 600 yen (~$6) each-- a bargain! I got back to my room at 4 AM and happily went to bed.

07.13
I woke up around noon on Wednesday as a result of the previous night. At 2:40 PM I attended a first year American Sports History class that Inoue sensei teaches. He asked me to come and help his students read articles in English and then make comments on the contents since I am an American majoring in Sports Science. I really enjoyed the time I spent in the class and I was amazed that students could translate the English articles line-for-line into Japanese.

Immediately after the class ended (around 4:10) I went to Osaka by train to meet up with Yoonkyung and her friend Sarah, a Korean girl who was coming to Japan on vacation. Apparently, Sarah went to high school in the United States-- in North Carolina, no less. Next year she will be attending UNC, and she actually is good friends with a friend of mine who goes to church with me at UNCG. Small world, right? Because of this, Yoonkyung wanted to introduce us to each other. Together, the two of us showed Sarah some of the hot spots in Osaka, all of which I had been to before, but still enjoyed going to again. Osaka really is my favorite city of all time so it was nice just to be there and walk around. Plus, we got to see the beginning of Osaka's matsuri (festival).



We returned to Nara around 9 PM or so, at which point we showed Sarah our campus before going to the cheap Italian restaurant (Saizeria?) that everyone seems to love so much. From there we returned to Yoonkyung's room to talk for a bit. I'm really glad Sarah came to visit Japan because she seems to be a really nice girl-- and I'll hopefully get to hang out with her and her sister when they return to America next year!

07.14
Thursday morning I got up early to meet Yoonkyung and Sarah for breakfast and then the two of us decided to show her some of the more popular tourist sights in Nara. Of course, this meant introducing her to our resident deer, taking her to Todaiji, and touring Nara park. We went together on our bikes, which was nice, but it was still unbearably hot so I was sweating up a storm by the time I went to my Japanese class at 10:40. The class went smoothly though, and I got to meet Maki for lunch. She helped me run a few errands after we finished eating and she treated me to ice cream at Tully's because it was a hot day. Then, the two of us finally took purikura together!

The two of us parted ways when I had to go get ready for my volleyball class. Volleyball was the same as usual, but afterwards I got to meet up with Maki again so we could go to Kyoto together. We were going to Kyoto to partake in the Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's biggest summer fesitvals. The plan was to meet up with Yoonkyung and Sarah, then to find Masami, Bea, Melanie, and Raphael. This was a lot easier said then done though. For one thing, it was my first time attending such a big festival (the first time for Maki, too), and people were EVERYWHERE. It looked like all the major roads in Kyoto had been shut down, and people walked freely in the streets. We went to wait in front of a large department store for Yoonkyung and Sarah to arrive. They finally found us about twenty minutes after we arrived in Kyoto. Then we spent the next thirty minutes or so looking for everyone else, which included getting lost. When we finally found the other four people we were looking for, it was in the incredibly packed back streets of the city where vendors had set up shop. Of course, this meant there was a ton of delicious street food to be seen. I ate the equivalent of a pita accompanied by an Italian beer (naturally, they were delicious). However, while I enjoyed walking through the streets, they were so crowded that we could only walk in a single file line and we ended up getting separated more than once so we wasted a lot of time waiting and looking for eachother. In the end, we walked around the streets one time before everyone decided to go home. I definitely enjoyed the festival experience, I only wish that we had done more! I also wish that I had worn my yukata, but I didn't have enough time to change after class. Oh well. Next time, right?

When we got back to Nara, the night was still young so I joined Yoonkyung and Sarah at Mello Cafe for dessert and some much needed conversation. We stayed in the restaurant until they closed, then continued our conversation at Yoonkyung's dorm. I got to swap stories with Sarah about American life, as well as the difficulties of learning a new language. It's really great when you meet people who completely understand the situation you are in. It's unfortunate that Sarah only got to stay in Japan for three days, but we have plans to meet up when I go to Korea so I am pretty excited : )

07.15
Today was absolutely amazing. In fact, I would consider it one of the best days I have spent in Japan since I've been here. The only downside was that I skipped my Friday class, but it was totally and completely worth it.

At 9 AM, Bea and I met up with our friend Rina to go with her to her house in Osaka. Her mother welcomed us into her small home and proceeded to spoil us with the most amazing meal I have eaten in Japan so far. Everything was home made, and you could tell that she had put a lot of thought and effort into every dish (of which there were many). A restaurant couldn't have done it any better! I was really touched by her thoughtfulness. I only wish that I had brought her a proper gift to show my gratitude!

Before all of the food was brought out. The dishes kept coming!

When we were all more than full, we thanked Rina's mother profusely and then set out to take two different trains and a taxi in order to reach Rina's teacher's house. Rina's teacher is a professional kimono dresser. She teaches people how to wear kimono, does their hair and makeup, and then takes pictures for them. Apparently, this is a service that can cost up to $1,000, but she did it for us for FREE, all because Rina asked her to. Yeah, she was pretty awesome. Not many people can afford to wear kimono, so it would have been a treat even for a Japanese person, but it was especially nice for Bea and I since we are both foreigners. Once again I found myself humbled by the amazing kindness shown to me by total strangers. Also, I think the end result turned out pretty good-- don't you?

We took a million pictures, of course, but eventually it was time to return the kimono. We changed back into our normal clothes before Rina's teacher took us to her sister's house. Her sister and her husband's house was built in the traditional Japanese style, so it was really neat to see. To my surprise, they had bought a TON of sushi so we could eat dinner with them. Together, the six of us talked while eating and drinking, and afterwards we were given dessert, coffee, and treats to take home. I don't think I have ever met such kind, generous people. They insisted that we visit again and asked for our home addresses so they could send us letters and postcards after we return to our own countries. Wow!

The day was long-- we started at 9 AM and didn't get back until around 9 PM, but I could tell that Rina had put a lot of thought into making the day special for Bea and I. In that, she, and everyone else involved definitely succeeded. One thing Japan does right is hospitality. I have never had a complete stranger try so incredibly hard to accomodate my every need. Of course, there is the universal common courtesy that people are expected to extend to guests, but the Japanese take it to a whole new level.

I'm in love with this country. I can't believe I am leaving next month!

07.09-11.11 Blur

Wow, I can't believe it has been three days since my last post. I feel like someone hit the fast-forward button on my life. I have no time for anything, yet I feel like I am hardly doing anything at all. More work is getting piled on to my plate, but at the same time there are even more opporunities to go out and do fun things with my friends. How can I be serious when everyone wants to go someplace or another? To tell the truth, I can't be, and for once in my life, I'm fine with that. When I go back to Greensboro, I'll be working hard in preparation for graduation next year. So for now, I'm going to enjoy myself to the fullest.

>>

Saturday was fairly normal. Even though it was unbearably hot, I went to soccer practice as usual. The heat made things difficult, but luckily I got to leave a little early because I had plans to meet Yoonkyung. She helped me cancel my membership at Konami for next month (since I will be traveling most of August I don't plan on going to the gym.) After we took care of that, we spent some time walking around and visited a few stores in the area. In the evening I had planned to go with Bea to ESS, but my soccer practice had made me extremely tired so I opted to stay home and do laundry instead. I'm glad I did, because I was out of pretty much everything!

Sunday was also more of the same. I went to church with Hana chan and Yoonkyung and I was able to get rid of the rest of my brownies, which everyone said were delicious. <3 After church was over and we were preparing to do worship practice, I got to learn some fun childhood games from Yoonkyung and Hana chan. They mostly involved hitting eachother (no, seriously), but they were interesting and challenging. Of course, I am a highly competitive person so I enjoyed them. Once church was over, I went back to my room to relax and take a nap. Both Yoonkyung and Hana chan had their part time jobs so I stayed in my room until the time I had promised to meet a girl from ESS at McDonald's. She had asked me to help her study for an English test that she will be taking next month. Her studying consisted of reading fairly difficult articles in English and then answering questions on them. The questions reminded me of something you might see on the SAT. I was surprised at how difficult they were, but together we were able to work through several articles and she told me that I had made things easy for her to understand. I was just happy that I could help!

I didn't do anything after I got back, and I actually ended up going to bed before midnight because I was so exhausted (a new record for me.) Today was the start of another week, but it turned out to be a pretty good day. I went to my Japanese class and actually understood everything we covered, ate lunch with Chan and Kana, who I hadn't spent time with in a while, attended Budou (did everything perfectly for once), and finished up by playing badmitton in gym class. It was my first time playing badmitton, but I think I did pretty well. From there I went back to my room and showered. Then I briefly met with Yoonkyung, who told me that she had a friend in Korea whose sister would be attending UNC in the fall-- and she knew one of my friends at UNCG because they had gone to high school together. It's a small world after all! Then, at 7:00, I met with Bea, Yoonkyung, Hana, Kana, and Tora (a girl who had interviewed me previously for a project she was doing) and we all went to Baby Face to eat dinner. I ate more than I have probably eaten in this entire past week, and I laughed and joked easily with everyone just like I would have in America. Honestly, I was so incredibly happy just to be out with friends. It was an amazing feeling. Afterwards we walked around Nara for a little while before stopping in to Mister Donuts for dessert. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and I especially enjoyed myself.

These past three days have gone by in a blur. There are only three weeks of classes left (including this one!) and then I have two weeks of vacation before I start school at UNCG. Cheers~!

07.06-08.11 Gallivanting

Long time no blog, eh? Yeah, I know, this one covers the last three days. I'm sure you've all been dying to know what I've been up to, right? (Please note the sarcasm. I'm really not that conceited.)

Wednesday seems so long ago. Probably because it was dark and gloomy in comparison to the blinding sunshine streaming in through my window. That's right folks-- it rained on Wednesday, which was actually a nice reprieve from the insanely hot weather we've been having. Because I didn't have class in the morning, Bea and I went looking for yukata, which is the summer version of the Japanese kimono. The two of us wanted to buy and wear yukata for some of the upcoming festivals. Also, it's always been a dream of mine to wear traditional Japanese clothing, and where else can I do that without people looking at me strangely except for in Japan? The two of us finally found what we were looking for at Vivre. There was a yukata store inside the building that sold complete sets for around 10,000 yen. That meant it included the yukata, obi, geta (sandals), bag, and accessories. If bought separately, everything would have been double the price! Both Bea and I found ones that we liked so now I am super excited to wear mine to a fesitval soon. Don't worry-- I will take a ton of pictures!

After we finished shopping, we met Yoonkyung and went to Konami, and shortly after that I went to soccer practice. It had been a week since I last went to practice, so of course it had to rain. Only six people showed up so it was difficult to do anything productive, but we managed to have a lot of fun in spite of the poor conditions.

Immediately after soccer I showered and trekked through the rain to go to church. I came in late and soaking wet, but heard most of the message. Between soccer practice and the rain I was extremely tired though so I wasn't able to focus like I should have. Once church was over, Tokunaga san and his Korean wife took Yoonkyung, Hana chan, Seong Hi, and I out for sushi. The restaurant we went to had a conveyer belt so you could see all of the menu options as they passed by. If you saw something you liked, all you had to do was tell the chef and they would have it brought out to the table. I found it interesting that the color of the plates reflected how much the sushi would cost. Together, the six of us ate quite a bit. Even though I don't like sushi all that much, everything we ate was absolutely delicious. Of course, when you have sushi in Japan you should expect the best! Everyone left with full stomachs and grateful hearts. I think Tokunaga san loves to spoil us!

The sushi were huge!

All of our plates

Conveyer belt

>>>

Thursday was another rainy day, but I was happy because this meant it wasn't dreadfull hot. I ended up going to class without Bea because she took the day off. Luckily, class was easy because we talked about katakana, which is one of the Japanese alphabets that is generally used to write loan words (English words used by Japanese) or sound effects (onomatopoeia). After class I ate in my room and then met Yoonkyung so we could go to Tully's for coffee. Yoonkyung treated me-- she even bought me dessert! It was the perfect way to celebrate the rainy day. As usual though, our time was cut short because I had to go to my volleyball class. I had fun though because my team dominated the entire time (hehehe).

In the evening, I met up with Yoonkyung, Bea, and Rina because Rina had invited us all to a Tanabata ceremony at the Bhuddist temple where she volunteers. It took some time to get there by train, but I enjoyed it in spite of the rain and the fact that I had to leave early for an ESS party. Because Yoonkyung and Bea stayed with Rina for the entire ceremony, I rode the train back to Nara by myself. It was the first time I rode the train by myself so I was nervous, but I had no problem finding my way back. I arrived late to the ESS party, but still got to eat my share of food and socialize with my musical buddies. Everyone received hand written letters and a photograph from Kana, the leader of our group. She and Yuji (our other leader) were really surprised when we gave them letters everyone had written for them. : ) It was nice to see them so happy.

Writing our wishes and tying them to the tree branches

ESS party

Once my party ended, I decided to meet up with Yoonkyung and Hana chan so we could talk for a little while. "A little while" ended up being a lot though, because it quickly became 2 AM. By that time I was too tired to walk back to my dorm, so Yoonkyung generously offered me her bed. I took her up on her offer, but ended up waking up late with a killer headache. I felt like I was hung over (but minus the alcohol). As a result, I didn't make it back to my room until 11 AM. After I showered and ate, I felt a lot better. By then, it was time to go to class. Surprisingly, class was really interesting today. We watched a video about a baseball team from Sendai and their response to the earthquake and tsunami disaster. It nearly brought me to tears.

From class I returned to my dorm and decided to use the brownie mix I received from Michelle for my birthday to make some brownies. They really were the most sinfully delicious things I had ever made so I had to share them. I invited Hana chan and Yoonkyung over so they could be the first to taste them. It made me happy when they said they were delicious : ) The three of us hung out in my room until around 7 PM, which is when I met Maki so we could go to dinner.

My brownies <3

The two of us went to a Viatnamese restaurant where Chan works part time. She was working when we got there so we got to see her wearing traditional Viatnamese clothing! Also, the food that I ordered was absolutely amazing. It was a salad, but it had an egg and spicy ground chicken in it. I think it might have been the best salad I have ever had.

Chan serving a customer

Maki and her meal

My salad!

Even though dinner was great, Maki and I decided to get coffee afterwards. She took me to a cafe that was literally hidden in a hole in the wall. The interior was really classy, and so were the drinks. My cafe mocha was a work of art, and so was my cheesecake (which Maki graciously paid for). I really had a great time with Maki, even more so because we were able to communicate without any problems. It was one of the few moments this week that I was really proud of myself. It seems that my speaking skills have improved after all!

Maki's cafe latte

Cheesecake and cafe mocha

Next week Maki and I are planning to do karaoke and take purikura together. : ) Because my time here is short, I want to plan even more fun outings with all of my friends! These past few days have been great and I want to make a new memory each day that I will never forget. <3

07.04-05.11 Jinx

I definitely jinxed myself when I said I hadn't missed home or felt bad in a long time because these last two days have been less than perfect.

On Monday I was determined to be chipper because it was Independence Day in the US and I was eager to celebrate. Of course, I did what I usually do on Mondays: went to Japanese class, ate lunch with Bea, Hana, and Yoonkyung, attended Budou, and yes, even went to my gym class. In gym class we were still playing volleyball, but surprisingly everyone improved over the last couple of weeks so our team actually did really well. We are having a mini tournament and so far we are in the lead (sweet, huh?). My knee was feeling much better (with the exception of bending it to extreme degrees) so I went to Konami with Bea immediately after class. I did some light running on the treadmill (nothing like I usually do) and some cycling.

Then, I came back to the dorm to quickly prepare for what I expected to be a fun night. I had planned to go to Sakura Burger with Rina, Bea, and Yoonkyung to celebrate the 4th of July. My mom even sent me an Independence Day card in the mail complete with fun American inspired coloring pages so I brought them with me so we could color them while we waited for our food.

Things started out a bit rocky though. Yoonkyung was late so I called her to find out where she was only to discover she had just woken up. It was hard for me to understand her over the phone, and I felt bad that she had to yell to get her point across. I eventually got  that she wanted us to go ahead of her to the restaurant and she would meet us there. However, after waiting at the restaurant for a few minutes, I received another call from Yoonkyung. Once again, I couldn't understand much of what she said over the phone so I sat there dumbly while she repeated herself over in over. Frustrated, I eventually passed the phone to Bea so she could talk to her. In the end, she arrived and we ordered, but I continued to feel embarrassed about our conversation and ended up crying at the dinner table. Great way to celebrate, right? No one seemed to understand why I was so upset, and even I couldn't fully explain it so I tried my best to cheer up and drop the issue. Honestly, I think it was the fact that I felt stupid for not being able to communicate over the phone that I was most upset.

We ate dinner and it was delicious. Of course, I had to eat a burger-- and even though I couldn't watch fireworks, Yoonkyung suggested that we go to karaoke and that more than made up for it. Rina, Yoonkyung, Bea, and I sang for two hours, which passed by quickly. Then we saw Rina off and went home our own way. Towards the end of karaoke I had developed a pounding headache though, so I ended up going to bed as soon as I got back.

>>

The morning wasn't much better. I still had a headache, and that put me in an awful mood. I could have slept for days. My body felt so heavy that just getting up to get dressed felt like a chore. Even so, I forced myself to get up and go to Indo Dance (even though I was a little late). The entire time I was in class though I felt like crap. Moving was tough, and my head felt like a rock. Even the sensei noticed that I was looking a bit pale and she encouraged me to take a break. Afterwards, Rina and Yoonkyung went with me to get some medicine from the clinic on campus before we ate lunch together. Once again, I wasn't able to eat everything on my plate. It's somewhat scary that I haven't been able to eat as much lately. I've never had such a poor appetite before...

Anyway, I returned to my room after lunch to shower and make some preparations for my Beginner's Japanese class. Only three people showed up today. I find it funny that whenever one of the Chinese girls don't come to class, they all decide not to go-- but hey, who am I to judge? Class went well though so I was glad I went. From there I decided to go to Yoonkyung's office to study for a little bit, but I couldn't focus for very long so I ended up leaving early to go meet Aaron, a Chinese girl who is paying me to edit her master thesis (ka-ching!). I charged her 1,000 yen for an hour, but it only took me about 45 minutes to edit ten pages. At least she gave me the number of another girl who is interested in having me check her paper so maybe I can make some more money. Hooray for having cash!

With nothing else to do after meeting Aaron I returned to the dorm to talk to Bea. I found out from her that Yoonkyung was worried about me. It probably didn't help that I left her office without saying goodbye to her. I didn't want to bother her since she was working at the time, but in retrospect I should have said something. Boo misunderstandings, boo! Anyway, I plan on talking her soon to clear things up, but until then I am a bundle of nerves.

This just hasn't been my day. It probably has something to do with the fact that I was too lazy to make apple muffins. Oh well. There's always next week, right?

07.02-03.11 Seize the Day

The weekend is already over?! Ugh. It never ceases to surprise me. I thought I would be used to it by now...

So, I rested again on Saturday even though my team had a soccer game. My knee wasn't hurting too bad, but it still felt somewhat unstable so I took a day off just to be safe. Around noon I met up with Yoonkyung so we could go shopping for the ingredients I would need to make takoyaki and while we were out I dragged her to take purikura with me. After we got everything we needed, we went back to my kitchen and broke in my new takoyaki maker. I am extremely proud to say that the takoyaki we made was absolutely delicious-- just as good as the kind you can buy from the takoyaki stands!

We ate to our hearts' content and then Yoonkyung left for work, so I went back to my room to relax until I met with Bea to go to ESS. It had been a few weeks since I had gone to a Saturday meeting, but I was glad I went because I got to see the members in yukata (like a kimono, but for summer), which they wore in honor of the Tanabata festival that will be held this month. Everyone looked great!

Not everyone wore a yukata (obviously), but most of the girls did. I really want to wear one! My friend Rina offered to take me shopping to find one so I am now making it my mission to buy a yukata so I can wear it to a festival this month. There are also plans in the work to go to karaoke this week (of course). After the ESS meeting was officially over, Bea and I went with Rina to McDonalds to eat. Everyone else went to Kofukuji temple to take pictures though, so we ended up leaving just as everyone else arrived.

Initially, Bea and I left because we were tired, but we ended up talking in my room for a few hours once we got back. However, I slept from 12:30 until around 9:00 in the morning so I considered that an accomplishment. Sad, I know.

At 10:10 this morning I went to church with Yoonkyung and Hana as usual. It was wonderful (of course) and Yoonkyung commented on the fact that I understand a lot more now than I did when I first came to church (that seems like forever ago!). I'm also a lot more comfortable with the worship team, which is a major blessing. We got out of church late and went to Nara Family, a large department store near Todaiji train station (Tokunaga san drove us again). Hana, Yoonkyung, and I met Bea there for an early dinner. Bea wanted to shop and Yoonkyung was doing her part time job nearby soon afterwards so it worked out. Tokunaga san paid for us to eat KFC (本当に懐かしかった）AND Baskin Robbins. Basically, he's awesome. On one hand it was great because I was completely stuffed, but on the other hand, it was a lot of junk food for one day so I felt kind of bad afterwards.

Luckily, Yoonkyung, Bea, and I went shopping at Uni Glo afterwards so we got to walk off some of our meal. Hana went back with Tonkunaga san since she had a paper to write, and Yoonkyung eventually left us so she could go to her part time job. Bea and I returned to Nara shortly after we finished shopping and ended up in my room to chat again. We sat and talked about this, that, and everything inbetween for five hours. Wow! The time passed so quickly that I was really surprised when I looked at the clock and saw it was past midnight. It was nice to talk to her though-- I still miss being able to talk so freely, even though I am doing a lot better at communicating now.

Tomorrow is the start of another week (やだ!）and I only have FOUR weeks of classes left. I know I shouldn't panic, but... AAAH! While it means that I need to work hard, I'm determined to party harder and enjoy ever last moment I have in Japan.

So here's to seizing the day-- 乾杯！

07.01.11 七月 Shichigatsu

Wow, is it really July? This is my last full month in Japan. I can hardly believe it. Classes end by the beginning of August, and then I will be traveling, packing, and heading back to America. It's exciting, nerve wracking, and terribly sad all at the same time. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Today I did what Yoonkyung and Bea told me to and rested all day. I literally did not leave the dorm. My attempt to sleep in failed though because I woke up at 8 am, but at least I got to chat with my friends on skype. As it got closer to lunch time, Bea contacted me so I could give her my grocery list. She was kind enough to go grocery shopping for me since my knee was still feeling strange. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as it did yesterday (I can walk at least), but something is still not right. I just hope it isn't anything serious.

While I was waiting for Bea to get back with my food I did laundry and watched some TV online. Later, Bea made me some AMAZING au gratin potatoes. Probably the best I have ever had. It was definitely much needed and much appreciated (thanks again!). Afterwards, I crawled back into bed and took a nap. Then I woke up to watch some more TV. Yoonkyung visited me for a little while to see how I was doing. She even brought me some snacks and I got to introduce her to some people via skype. Ah, the wonders of technology.

That was the extent of my day! So, yeah. Kind of scary that I only have one full month and a couple odd weeks left of my exchange, but every day has been fun and I haven't gotten homesick in a long time (knock on wood) so I am staying optimistic.

Thanks again to all my friends here who are keeping me sane. I don't know what I would do without you guys. <3