08.02-06.11 Korea 韓国

08.02 (火)

I slept in as much as possible on Tuesday since I stayed up late on Monday night. Then I packed my bags in preparation for Korea! Around noon Bea and I went to meet Yoonkyung and Hana chan for lunch at a nice Japanese style restaurant that I had never been to. Then, Yoonkyung and I said goodbye and left for the KIX airport via limosine bus. It felt strange going back to the airport since I hadn't been there since I first arrived in Japan. It reminded me that I would be going home soon, which evoked a lot of bittersweet feelings in me. But that's neither here nor there... 

We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare so we walked around for a bit and relaxed in some massage chairs until it was time to board our plane. The flight to Korea was extremely fast (about an hour and half) so it wasn't long before we were arriving in Gimpo, which is an area just outside of Seoul. Yoonkyung's sister and mother came to pick us up. It was nice to see Yoonkyung's family even though I couldn't speak any Korean. At least her sister could speak fluent Japanese so we were able to talk.

Yoonkyung's mother and sister dropped us off at Tria hotel, which was where we planned to stay since Yoonkyung's house wasn't big enough for me to stay in. Everyone in Seoul lives in what they call "mansions", which are really just small apartments stacked on top of each other. They were all I could see when we first landed in Gimpo!  The hotel itself was very nice, except for the fact that the bathroom was made of glass. Literally, you could see into the shower from the outside. ...Awkward to say the least.

The first night we arrived we didn't stop to rest. As soon as we dropped off our stuff we went to meet some of Yoonkyung's friends for dinner at a restaurant down the road. We ate dak galbi which is basically just spicy chicken. I immediately noticed some differences between Korean and Japanese food (other than the fact that Koreans use metal chopsticks while Japanese use wooden ones). I noticed that in Korea people tend to order one or two big dishes, which are cooked in a large frying pan in the middle of the table. Everyone just takes what they want from the same big plate. In Japan, everything is so small-- it was actually really surprising to be eating such huge portions again!

Once we ate dinner, we went to a little coffee shop next door to meet up with some more people Yoonkyung knew. Speaking of which, I think I met over 20 of Yoonkyung's friends during my short stay in Korea. Every day we hung out with different people, and each time I instantly bonded with them. It was a lot different from Japan in that everyone was outgoing and eager to invite us places, immediately adding me on facebook via their smartphones (which everyone seemed to have). I really felt like part of the family, so to speak, even though I couldn't speak the same language. Luckily, everyone we met was able to speak either Japanese or English. Convenient, right?

Anyway, after coffee Yoonkyung and I went with her friends to a park that runs alongside Han River, the largest river in Korea, which goes directly through Seoul. Even though it was extremely late (after midnight) when we went, people were everywhere, which was another major difference I noted. In Japan, no one seems to be outside after 10 pm, but in Seoul, that's just when the city started to come alive. We all sat and ate chicken and beer, something that is apparently a Korean tradition (I'm assuming among college students). It was nice to talk to everyone and pick up some Korean phrases. I really enjoyed listening to Korean because it's a lot more "musical" than Japanese. Japanese is very "flat", almost monotone in its sound, but Korean goes up and down all the time. It makes it seem more expressive and lively. Even though I didn't always understand the words, I could sometimes pick up on what was being said just by the intonation. Pretty neat!

Yoonkyung and I got back to the hotel and were in bed by 3 am. Not a bad way to start off our trip!

08.03 (水)
Wednesday morning we met Jieun for breakfast at Starbucks. We had met her the night before and I really enjoyed talking with her because she could speak Japanese and quite a bit of English. Also, side note: there are a MILLION coffee shops in Seoul. I am not exaggerating. Almost every other store was a cafe of some sort! I couldn't believe it. I don't know why they need so many, but as a coffee lover I wasn't about to complain.

After breakfast, Jieun showed us her mother's office in a nearby building where we sat and talked. Her mom does traditional Korean paintings so we got to see some of her work. It was pretty impressive. From there, we went to Kangnam and ate shabu shabu (great name, I know). Yeonju, one of Yoonkyung's friends who had visited us in Japan, came to meet us for lunch. Afterwards, we walked around the area. Kangnam was a fun place to be because it had a lot of shops and restaurants. Everyone seemed to be out and about, in spite of the fact that it was raining on and off all day.

At one point it began to downpour so we quickly bought umbrellas and slipped into Smoothie King for a break. We continued our adventure once the rain let up a bit and ended up eating again not soon after. (I think Koreans like to eat just as much as Americans do.) We had topokki, something I love. Not exactly sure what they are, but they are spicy and bit sized. Basically, the perfect college student snack food.

The rain was getting bad at this point, but we kept on until we came to a nail salon. I had made a comment to Yoonkyung on how all of the girls I saw in Korea had really nice nails. Apparently, getting your nails done is cheap in Korea so we decided to get ours done too. Yoonkyung got a pedicure and I got a manicure-- both of them turned out really nice!

After our girly activity of the day, we all met up with Yoonkyung's sister Yuni for dinner. We had samgyopsal, which is my absolute favorite Korean food. Basically, you fry pork belly and a bunch of other things (like kimchi) on a skillet and wrap it all up in lettuce. It's basically the Korean equivalent of tacos. Yoonkyung made it for me once before, but this was even better than that (which means it was pretty damn good). When we finished eating dinner I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to move, but we managed to walk down the street to get dessert and then we all went to karaoke.

Karaoke in Korea is a bit different than in Japan. For one thing, the rooms are about ten times bigger, as is the screen where you read off the lyrics. They have more space for dancing (which some people managed to do), and the method of picking songs is a lot more annoying because you have to look through a huge book instead of just searching on a machine. Even though it wasn't exactly what I was used to, I still managed to have fun. I think I enjoyed watching Yoonkyung and her sister sing together more than I enjoyed singing by myself. She looked happy and comfortable, and I think I understood exactly what she was feeling. It's that feeling you get when you are home and surrounded by close friends. Soon that will be me!

When we finished karaoke, Yoonkyung and I said goodbye to everyone and went to a cafe to meet Hyoen, a girl who was an exchange student at Nara last semester. It was nice to finally meet her since I had heard a lot about her from everyone. Also, her Japanese was really nice and easy to follow so we were able to have good conversation. Hooray for making even more international friends! 

08.04 (木)

Thursday morning, Yoonkyung and I had breakfast a Korean "toast" restaurant. Except, this toast is really more like a delicious breakfast sandwich. Probably the best one I've ever had, too. From there, the two of us went to meet Dabin, the sister of Darae, and her father. Darae, or Sarah, was the girl I met last month when she came to Japan on vacation-- the one who went to high school in North Carolina and is friends with one of my friends at UNCG. Dabin and her father were both extremely nice to us. They treated us to lunch at a buffet and asked that if (when) I come back to Korea we meet again. I've already been invited on vacation with their family! Sweet deal.

From the restaurant, Yoonkyung and I went to visit Ewha Women's University, which is where she was an undergraduate student. Apparently, it is a very famous university in Korea. She showed me around and we met up with her friends Jungmin and Hyerim.We spent a lot of time browsing the nearby shops in the area and went to Myungdong, which is a huge shopping district that seems to be pretty famous in Seoul. There were a lot of people out and about just like us. Eventually, we stopped for a break at O'sulrock, a tea house. I had some delicious mint green tea before we set out again.

In the evening, Yoonkyung and I met two more of her friends for dinner at a Korean-Chinese restaurant. We ate tangsooyook, chajangmyun, and jjampong with Ray and Sojung, two Koreans who also studied in Seattle, Washington where Yoonkyung studied abroad in the USA. It was great talking to people who could speak English fluently. 

The night was still young when we left Ray and Sojung so we took the bus to Seoul's famous N Tower to meet Hyoeun. The tower reminded me of the time when I went to the Osaka Floating Garden Observatory because you could see all of Seoul from the balcony. All I could think of was how the city looked like a sea of stars, and that I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life living in a place with such an amazing view. Of course, couples were there in excess so we didn't hang around for very long, but it was a nice way to spend the rest of the evening. We stopped for some food and drinks on the way home and then Yoonkyung and I took a taxi back to the hotel.  

08.05 (金)

Friday was my last full day in Seoul, and I was determined to make the most of it. We started the day out right with breakfast at Starbucks (again), this time meeting (you guessed it) another friend of Yoonkyung's. How many friends does this girl have, really?!  Together, the three of us went to visit Insadong, which is a major art street. The place we went to is famous for all of the crafts sold there, so we spent some time weaving in and out of the stores and taking in the scenery. Some of the designs were very fun and interesting to look at. My brain was on visual overload! 

Then we went to greatest work of art in Seoul-- Kyungbokgoong, Korea's ancient palace. It was pretty impressive, especially the colorfully dressed castle guards. They still do the changing of the guards ceremony there! Since we were admiring Korea's history, we had to stop by the Korean folk museum, which was a short walk away. (We're nerds like that.) Walking around in the heat all day tired us out, so we took a break at a little cafe called Samchungdong where we ate dessert and had drinks before saying goodbye to Yoonkyung's friend.

We had some time to kill before our next appointment of the day, so Yoonkyung and I wandered around Coex mall. At first we had the intention of seeing a movie, but none of the times fit our schedule so we did some shopping and ended up eating dinner at Bennigans (random, I know). Then it was time to see Darae (Sarah). We wandered around Kangnam together, which was completely different at night than it was in the day. Young people were everywhere (not to mention drunk people), and every shop had glaring neon lights and music with the loudest bass possible. The three of us made our way to karaoke and stayed there until four in the morning. Not too shabby for our last night in Seoul, I'd think! Darae came to stay with us in the hotel and we made a slumber party out of it. It was an amazing way to end the week <3

08.06 (土)

The last day was bitter in Seoul was too short. Since we stayed out so late, we slept in. We only had time to pack before Yoonkyung's father picked us up in order to take me to the airport. At the airport, Mr. Choi treated us to lunch. Of course, I had to eat traditional Korean food my last day in Korea! We had budae chige, a mix of sausage, ham, red beans, and noodles in a type of soup (apparently, this was created by American soldiers-- go figure) and bulgogi. Then it was time for the worst part of the trip-- saying goodbye. Of course, I knew that I would see Yoonkyung again before leaving Japan, but it made me think of how much harder it would be to say farewell on the 17th. At least I would have Tokyo to look forward to, and that would keep me distracted for some time. 

My flight and bus ride back to Nara went smoothly, but I arrived much later than I expected so I couldn't go to ESS like I had planned. It really was a shame because I had wanted to see Rina one last time before leaving Japan, but it just wasn't possible because I had to pack and do laundry before leaving for Tokyo. While I was making preparations, Hana chan came by to say hello and ask how my trip went. Then, I had to rush off with Bea to Kyoto so we could take an overnight bus to Tokyo. Crazy, right? I had just returned to Nara, and it was already time to get back on the road again. 

I didn't know it then, but the following week would be the most exhausting week of my life. It feels good to be back in Nara now!   

07.30-08.01.11 The Beach Episode

The past three days have been absolutely fabulous, but also bittersweet. It's August now, which means the countdown has begun. Only sixteen days before I'm back in the United States. When I think about it I get depressed so I think it's best not to worry about-- for now.

07.30 (土)

On Saturday I went to my last soccer practice. To my surprise, everyone showed up-- even if it was just to say goodbye to me. Our captain, Hinako, made practice shorter. Instead of doing drills we scrimmaged for the majority of the time. I put all of my strength and effort into everything we did because I knew it would probably be the last time I would get to play with my team. When practice ended, I was surprised again by the fact that my team had pitched in to buy me some nice gifts. They gave me an amazingly beautiful hair pin, a Japanese mirror, and each person wrote me a personal farewell note. Even our advising sensei gave me a book of sketches that he had drawn. I hadn't expected to get anything, so I was moved by everyone's kindness. I am really going to miss everyone. </3

The hairpin my teammates gave me

My team <3

After soccer I decided to go to ESS so I could spend more time with Rina. After ESS was finished, the two of us went to a cafe to eat dinner and talk. I was also reminded that it was would be one of the last days that I would get to spend with her, but we were able to have a great conversation and enjoy each other's company. Once we had eaten, we went to McDonald's to hang out with some of the ESS people and then I said my goodbyes and returned.

07.31 (日)

On Sunday, Rina came to church with Yoonkyung, Hana chan, and I. It was interesting since she is technically a Bhuddist. I could tell it was a major culture shock for her! Even so, we all had a good time. It was the last Sunday that the entire worship team would be together since Yoonkyung will still be in Korea on my last Sunday in Japan, so once again I had a bittersweet feeling by the time we left. 

After church was over, Rina, Yoonkyung, Hana chan and I all met up with the intention of going out to take purikura and eat dinner. Bea was also supposed to come, but we had a misunderstanding so she ended up not going with us. Purikura was fun though, and afterwards we ate at Mos Burger (which is Japan's upgraded version of McDonalds.) From there, the four of us trekked back to the game center where we first took our purikura. Yoonkyung and I tried our hand at some of the games when it started to downpour. None of us had proper umbrellas so we took our time walking back to Yoonkyung's dorm later in the evening. Because we were all exhausted, the four of us decided it would be a good idea to sleep over. The four of us squeezed into Yoonkyung's room and went to bed. It was a fun experience-- and I was glad I got to hang out with Rina all day.

 

08.01 (月)

Finally-- finally, I got to have my beach episode! 

In the morning I quickly went to grab everything I need before meeting up with Yoonkyung and Hana chan again so we could go to church. From there, we made the long drive to Wakayama, which is outside of Osaka. It was the first time that I had been able to go to the beach all summer, so I was very excited. It was even more exciting to be able to hang out with everyone from church outside of a church setting. When we first arrived we had a short time of worship before pastor baptized seven people. It was nice to see Yoonkyung get baptized since it is an important event in a Christian's life. Her family wasn't there, so I felt like Hana chan and I got to stand in as her sisters. :) It was a nice moment for everyone.

Once everyone had been baptized, we ate a large meal together. There was so much food (as usual)! Then we got to play some fun games that Yoonkyung had thought up. One involved repeating long or difficult phrases in increasing sequence. For example, the first person would say the phrase once and then the next person twice and so on and so forth. If you messed up, the other team got to shoot you with water guns. Of course, Yoonkyung and I took full advantage of that. Haha <3 After that we all played a counting game that required you to clap whenever there was a three, six, or nine mentioned. That turned out to be pretty interesting too, and we played it a few times before we ended for the day. From then on we (the worship team, aka the young people in the church) got to go swimming in the ocean! The water was cool and the sun was out so it was a perfect day for swimming. When we had our fill of that, we played a quick game of soccer on the sand volleyball court (which I pwned at, naturally.) That tired us all out pretty quick, so we took one last dip in the ocean before convening in the parking lot to make our trip to a nearby onsen. Everyone went in the onsen (even Yoonkyung, which was surprising), so we got to relax a bit and shower. Then pastor took us to get ice cream and walk around before we all went back to Nara.  

We didn't get back until 9 PM, and Yoonkyung and I ended up staying up late so we could talk with Bea and clear up our misunderstanding from the other day. 

As a side note, I am sorry this blog post is so late. The day following our beach trip I traveled to Korea and was busy all week, and when I got back I immediately went to Tokyo (which is where I am now), but no worries! Expect two big updates soon, one for Korea and one for Tokyo, and more pictures will be added to this blog once I am using my own computer again. 

On that note, it's time to party. Hooray vacation!

07.26-29.11 DONE--

--with classes, that is. Yep. I am completely and totally done with my semester here! That means I have two weeks of vacation until I have to go back to reality... Although, some might argue that I have been on vacation since April, but that's not true. I've been studying hard, really!

...okay, moving on.

07.26 (火）

Tuesday was an awesome day. At 9:00 AM I went to my last Indian Dance class in order to prepare for our final performance. We managed to squeeze in one last rehearsal before we had to get dressed for the show. We put on special make up and wore sari specifically for the performance, and even though only a handful of people came, we really went all out for the occasion. Although we made some small mistakes, overall everyone did their best and we were really proud of how it turned out. (If you want to see what we did, you can find videos on my facebook!) Afterwards, everyone went out to eat at a nearby Indian restaurant to celebrate. Of course, it was delicious!

I don't think I did much else for the rest of the day because I was tired from all of the activity. I originally planned to take a nap in my room, but this translated into me spending hours on the internet uploading pictures and videos. Later on, I did manage to take a nap, only to get up and start writing my final paper for my Japanese class. In the evening I took a break to take a walk with Hana chan around Nara. We talked about various things and it it gave me an excuse to procrastinate.

07.27（水） 

I slept in late, which I hadn't planned on doing originally. As soon as I woke up I went to work to try and finish my Japanese report. It took me about three hours to translate everything from English into Japanese, and then I met Maki on campus so we could go over it together. Although there was a lot of editing to be done, I understood all of Maki's corrections and she complimented me on my Japanese. Once I finished talking with Maki, I went to soccer practice, but because only four people showed up we ended earlier than usual. From there I went straight back to my room to finish my paper along with the homework that I had forgotten about. By the time I finally finished everything I was absolutely exhausted, but because I had promised Hana chan we would meet, I went over to her place to watch some Korean dramas. I think both of us were pretty tired though because we ended up falling asleep in the middle of the show!

07.28 (木）

Thursday was probably the best day I had all week, with the number one reason being that it was my last day of classes here in Japan. Bea and I went to Japanese together and sensei actually decided to teach the class something, but I could tell that no one was really paying attention. At the end of our time together we turned in our reports and our homework-- and that was it! Afterwards, Bea and I went to lunch and we met Hana chan for a brief time. Bea had to go to class once lunch was over, but we met up again at 3 PM so we could go to karaoke. The two of us sang karaoke for three hours and had a blast doing it. I don't know what I will do when I go back to the US and can't go to karaoke! Once we finished singing, Tokunaga san and his wife from church picked me up in order to take me out for dinner since I will be leaving Japan soon. :'( Yoonkyung and Hana chan came along (of course), and Seong Hi was supposed to come, but couldn't. Before we were about to drive away from Nara Station, we caught sight of Rina. I immediately asked her to come along since the two of us won't be able to hang out after this weekend, and she joined us for dinner at a yakiniku restaurant. It was SO GOOD. Mouth-wateringly good. Basically, I was reminded of why I could never be a vegetarian...   

Once we all stuffed ourselves with meat and spicy goodness, Tokunaga san dropped us off at Nara Station. Then, us four girls walked to Rina's house to spend some time together. We ate ice cream, drank tea, and talked nonsense until nearly 2 AM. In short, it was a perfect day. <3

07.29 (金）

I woke up groggily (and begrudgingly) to go to the gym with Yoonkyung. I haven't been going to Konami lately, but I think it's okay since I have been working hard. Anyway, we went together, although we went a lot later than I had originally planned, and afterwards the two of us met Hana chan for lunch at Ichizoku. Even more exciting than the delicious food was the fact that I got my hair cut. I have been wanting to cut my hair ever since it got long enough to put in a ponytail, and today I finally got the chance to. A hair cut only cost me 2,000 yen (around $20), and I think it turned out really nice!

  

The three of us went our separate ways after that, but we promised to meet around 4 PM along with Bea and Rina in order to go take purikura together and maybe get something to eat. However, it turned out that both Hana chan and Yoonkyung overslept, so I ended up going out with only Bea and Rina. In the end though, I think it was for the best because I got to spend quality time with Bea and Rina. The three of us took some super cute purikura together, and then we ate at a cafe that I had never been to. In a spur of the moment decision I thought it would be a good idea to make apple muffins, so we went back to the dorm and I made them for everybody. Of course, we ended up talking afterwards until around 1 AM. (This seems to be a common theme between me and my friends-- these late night talks, that is.) We actually got to talk about some interesting and serious topics, including differences between our three cultures. I'm so glad that I met Rina because she has become a really close friend, which are hard to make among the Japanese since they are usually fairly reserved. Rina is different from normal Japanese girls though, which I think is why we get along so well.

Here's to celebrating differences <3

07.23-25.11 High Stress Level

What did I do this weekend that was interesting? Oh yeah-- nothing.

Okay, okay, that's an exaggeration. I at least went to a cool cafe with Yoonkyung, but the rest of my weekend was devoted to studying for my Japanese test (OF DEATH). On Saturday I skipped soccer practice and ESS so I could study. Luckily, Yoonkyung saved me before I went insane by inviting me to an interesting cafe just when I needed a break. The small restaurant was on the street behind my dorm. It was basically built into the owner's house so it felt more like you were going over to a friend's for lunch than if you were going to a formal restaurant. The atmosphere was extremely relaxed, which was both surprising and refreshing. Because Yoonkyung had gone to the place a week before, the owner remembered her and stroke up casual conversation. We also talked to the other customers there, who seemed to be regulars. Everyone taught us how to play traditional Japanese games and we even got to try our hand at the Japanese style of painting. We only ordered coffee and dessert, but were given free food, great conversation, and many laughs. It's definitely a place that I'll be going to again soon!

Yuu teaching Yoonkyung how to play the game

Free food!

He was adorable <3

Yoonkyung's painting!

My painting

The owner's handiwork

After we were done eating and socializing it was time for me to go back to work. I spent the rest of the evening studying in Yoonkyung's dorm while Yoonkyung went off to her part-time job. I sat in the first floor lounge and a nice girl shared some orange slices with me just as I was starting to get hungry. Overall, I felt like I was productive.

Sunday was also fairly productive. Of course, I went to church with Hana chan and Yoonkyung in the morning. The message was just what I needed to hear, and to my surprise I understood everything that was said (how's that for progress?). We got out of church around 5 PM, so Yoonkyung and I went to Tully's for coffee and I also got to buy some new ear phones for my ipod at Vivre. When Hana chan was done with her part-time job, we all met up again and went to Paket to get some shopping done. I'm really glad I went because I was completely out of food! Later in the evening, I went over to Yoonkyung and Hana chan's dorm again so I could study. (I am completely incapable of studying in my room since I get distracted by the internet.) This time, I sat in Yoonkyung's room and looked over my notes while we watched Transformers. And yes, I was able to study that way! Surprising, I know, but I'm one of those people who needs background noise in order to focus. Weird, yes.

Today (Monday), I hit my stress limit. I went to take my Japanese test and found out that I was prepared for about 2/3 of it. The other third was fill in the blank, which I wasn't expecting at all. Basically, we had to make example sentences and everything looked the same to me so I'm sure I failed that part. Oh well. I did my best and what's done is done! From there I went to eat lunch and then Bea, Yoonkyung, and I went to our last Budou class. I turned in my report and we filled out class evaluations. We also got to watch our final kendo performance (which we presented last week). I'm proud to say that it looked really good! I'm hoping that I can get a copy of the video from sensei so I can take it back to America with me :) After that I had my last gym class. Again, we filled out class evaluations. It was pretty boring. I'm glad that class is finished!

Once all of my classes were done, Bea and I made preparations to go to Osaka in order to attend Tenjin matsuri. But first we went to Vivre so I could get some help putting on my yukata. We went to the same place we had bought our yukata and the girls who worked there helped me put it on. It looked absolutely stunning! I was extremely pleased. When I was dressed (Bea put her yukata on by herself), we made our way to Osaka, which was crowded with people (even more so than when we went to Gion matsuri in Kyoto.) We visited the major temple where the festival was being held and got to see some of the procession. Of course, we got to see (and eat) more than our fair share of street food, my favorite. Around 7 PM the fireworks started so Bea and I tried to find a good place to watch them. We ended up in a small place by the riverbed where we could see the fireworks and the festival boats as they went up and down the river. While we were there, we bumped into some guys, one of whom was from Hockessin, Delaware. Small world, right? It started to get late, so Bea and I made our way back to the train station. We got to see more of the festival procession on the way, which was also nice. By the time we got back to Nara though it was almost midnight-- wow!

In the end it turned out to be a fun day, but the pressure of having final classes and navigating my way through one of the biggest festivals in Japan was still stressful. Also, I am getting up early tomorrow to go prepare for my Indian Dance performance (the day has finally come!!). Yes, I'm still enjoying myself, but I think I'll be relieved when this week is over. Then I can relax and enjoy the rest of my time here. Until then!

chocolate covered banana!

Back in Nara with Sentokun, Nara's mascot!

07.19-22.11 何々

It's hard to believe that my second to last week of classes is already over. Next week I will have the biggest Japanese test of my life, participate in an Indian Dance performance, and turn in two papers (written in Japanese, of course.) It will be the last week that I will see most of my classmates, and it will start the countdown to the day I return to the United States-- August 17th. In short, this is the beginning of the end. I'm not trying to sound morbid. I'm really excited to be going home, but... I'm not sure when I will return to the Japan. I've sad it before and I'll say it again: I am in love with this country. It will be really strange going back to my normal life.

07.19 (火）

I woke up to the sound of wind. But not any normal wind, typhoon wind. Speaking of which, can anyone explain to me exactly what a typhoon is and why it's something I should worry about? Honestly, I've seen worse wind storms in North Carolina. Just saying. Anyway, I went to my Indian Dance class Tuesday morning. We got to wear these cool anklets with bells on them as we practiced our routine for the last time. Our final performance is next week! I'm nowhere near prepared, but it's do or die at this point. Everyone seems excited for it though. I hope a lot of people come! From Indian Dance class I went to lunch with Yoonkyung and Rina. Then I had to go back to my room to change and prepare for my final presentation in Beginner's Japanese. I presented my project and I think I did really well. I'm proud of how much my Japanese has improved since I first came to Japan. My presentation seemed to reflect this so I was satisfied. Once class was over I returned to my room to relax, which means I did nothing the rest of the evening except for surf the internet. 



Takeda sensei and I after my presentation

07.20（水） 

Wednesday morning I got to sleep in late. It has been increasingly more difficult for me to get up early, which I take is a sign that I've become accustomed to life here. At noon, Yoonkyung and I met to go to Konami. I hadn't been to the gym in about a week and a half so it felt nice to exercise again! Once we finished, the two of us went to Kame for lunch. My appetite has returned recently so I was able to eat everything on my plate (much to my relief.) From there, the two of us went to Yoonkyung's office to print fliers for Indo Dance. We walked around campus to hand some out and post them on a few message boards. Then, we met up with Rina and Hana chan to go shopping at Nara Family. Before going to the mall (also in order to buy some things in preparation for Indo Dance) we couldn't resist goofing off in Yoonkyung's office.



You know you love us :)



Even though we went to the mall, we couldn't find everything we needed in time. Yoonkyung and I left Hana chan and Rina so we wouldn't be late to church. Church went well, although I found myself nodding off in the middle of the sermon (whoops). Afterwards, Tokunaga san took Yoonkyung and I out to dinner at a fairly expensive Tonkatsu restaurant. Again, I was able to eat (almost) everything, but Yoonkyung and I felt bad because Tokunaga paid for us (as always). The two of us decided we would buy him a present in order to say thank you, but that would have to wait until the following day because we didn't get back until around 11 PM! (We spent about an hour driving around looking for the restaurant. Oh well.)

07.20 (木）

Thursday morning I went to my Japanese class. Technically, it was the last class because next week all we have to do is turn in our paper and homework. Bea, Yoonkyung, Hana chan and I ended up eating lunch together and then Yoonkyung and I set out for Vivre to find a present for Tokunaga san. We ended up buying him a Marine Corps. shirt that had "North Carolina" written on it. Yoonkyung thought it would be nice to give him something that would remind him of me since I will be leaving soon. The shirt was so nice that I ended up buying another one for myself (in honor of my older brother who is currently training to become a Marine Corps. officer). I find it interesting that there were so many United States' military shirts in the store. They had Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army t-shirts-- all American. What reason does Japan have to like our military so much, I wonder? In any case, I was happy with the gift. Tokunaga san is planning on having a "goodbye" party for me soon so I need to pay him back somehow! When Yoonkyung and I were finished shopping I had to return to change clothes and go to my volleyball class. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was the last one. I'm also happy to say that my volleyball skills have greatly improved since the beginning of the semester. In fact, all of my classmates seemed to have improved because our final games were really entertaining. If only UNCG's activity classes were as fun as my volleyball class here was!

After volleyball, Yoonkyung invited me to go to Konami. I didn't have any reason to say no so the two of us went and swam in the pool for about an hour. After that, Yoonkyung asked me to go to her dorm so we could eat dinner together along with Hana chan. She made Korean ramen for us (the best kind of ramen there is) and we relaxed until 8 PM, which is when I decided I should probably start studying for my test that I have next week. Yoonkyung and I spent the rest of the evening in her office. I wrote one of my two papers and studied for my Japanese test, and she wrote up a schedule for when we go to Korea (we're both very excited about it!).

07.21 (金）

Friday at last! Actually, this week went by faster than I thought it would, probably because of the three-day weekend. In any case, because we had Monday off, we had Monday classes today instead of Friday classes. As a result, I had my Japanese class first. Bea and I ate lunch afterwards and got to talk about our plans for Tokyo. (I am going to Tokyo shortly after I return from Korea. Super excited about that, too!) We need to buy our bus ticket and book a place to stay, so we'll be discussing that in more detail soon. Our conversation was cut short because I had to go with Yoonkyung to purchase a return permit for when we go to Korea. (We didn't have Budou today so it was the perfect time to go.) Basically, the return permit is a document that allows me to go to Korea and then return directly to Japan without any problems. All of this passport, via, go here, go there nonsense gives me a headache, but the important thing is that I should have no trouble with customs when I return from Korea. 3,000 yen later I had purchased the permit and we returned to NWU. I quickly changed clothes and went to my gym class with Bea. We played badmitton again, and next week will be our last class (hooray!). Tonight will pretty much be the same as last night. I'm putting my nose to the grind and studying for this monster test. According to Bea, the one she took last semester was difficult so I know I've got my work cut out for me. Prayers appreciated!