08.15-17.11 Thanks for the Memories

It still feels incredibly surreal to be back in the United States. Two days ago I was still in Japan spending time with my friends there. Now I am back in Delaware where nothing seems to have changed. I think it's going to take a bit of getting used to...

08.15 (月)

Monday morning I woke up early to start packing my room. It was strange to see it so bare since I had decorated it pretty excessively throughout the semester. The process of packing fully exhausted me, so I ended up taking a four hour "nap" later in the afternoon. I didn't do much after that except wait excitedly for Yoonkyung to arrive in Nara. She got back around 6 PM and started to unpack her things. We were supposed to meet up with Masami and Bea around 7 PM to go view the "burning of the mountain" in Nara along with some lantern displays, but we ended up being late (of course). I met up with Yoonkyung at her dorm a little before seven. It was great to see her after over a week and a half! Once she was ready, we set out into Nara to go to Todaiji and Kasuga taisha with Bea and Masami. Again, the city looked like something out of a fairly-- so beautiful that it could only be described as magical. I was happy that I got to share the experience with Yoonkyung and Bea, my two closest friends in Japan. After we had seen everything there was to see, Yoonkyung, Bea, and I went back to her dorm and talked until early in the morning. 久しぶり！

08.16 (火)

I filled my last full day in Japan with precious memories that I will cherish forever.

The morning was fairly normal. I finished packing the rest of my stuff and spent time relaxing in my room. Bea and I went to the post office so I could send some things that I couldn't fit in my suitcase. After that, I was supposed  to meet up with Maki, but ended up not needing to.  Later on, Yoonkyung, Hana chan and I made a last trip to Nara Family at Saidaiji in order to have lunch and look around the department store. This too felt surreal for me, knowing that it would be the last time that we would be able to hang out like this. 

(As a side note, I think I cried more times during this one day than I have in my entire life.) 

We had to go back early to start preparing for my goodbye party, which was originally scheduled to start at six, but was pushed back to seven. When we got back to Nara, Hana chan came over to help me clean my room while Yoonkyung got started on cooking. At seven-ish Hana chan and I went back to her dorm. I began to prepare my last batch of muffins while Hana chan got ready to go to work. Slowly but surely, people began to trickle into the kitchen to make their own preparations. Bea, Raphael, Masami, and Maki san all came over, and we had a fun time cooking together, and an even better time eating together.

 

Everyone forced me to give a speech, and then everyone responded with last words of their own. It was an extremely emotional time for me, but I don't think I was the only one who was feeling a bit emotional. I also got the change to give Bea and Yoonkyung their goodbye presents (they liked them!), along with Hana chan when she returned from her part time job. Once everyone was stuffed with good food and outpouring with emotion, we banded together to go to my last round of karaoke. We sang from around 11 PM until 3 AM. I laughed, I cried, and enjoyed myself to the fullest. How could I not when I was surrounded by my best friends? Afterwards, Bea, Yoonkyung, and Hana chan came over to my dorm and we spent my last night together sleeping in the guest room they have there. Of course, I had to cry again-- quite hysterically, I might add-- because it hit me that I wasn't sure when I would see them again.

I've never been good at goodbyes.

08.17 (水)

My last day in Japan went by in a blur. I got up early than everyone else to finish cleaning my room. Then, Maki san came over to help me get my room checked, pay my bills, throw my trash out, and other miscellaneous things like that. I also had to go to the International office to return my bike, say goodbye-- all that good stuff. Once everything had been taken care of, we all convened in Yoonkyung's office. Me, Bea, Hana chan, Maki san, Ena, and Yoonkyung all met for one final time and went out to lunch. My last meal in Japan had to consist of traditional Japanese food, of course. So we went to the restaurant that I had gone to with Bea, Hana chan, and Yoonkyung before we left for Korea. From there, Tokunaga san came to pick me up so we could go to the airport. Hana chan, Yoonkyung, and Bea all accompanied me, of course. I was glad that I didn't have to go alone.

I cried again in the airport when I said goodbye. I will never forget the image of my friends waving to me as I entered the security area at KIX. I am incredibly blessed to have met such amazing people during my short time in Japan.

And that's it. The end. I'm back in the United States and on my way back to school this morning. 

But it doesn't feel that way. In fact, I know it is not the end. I plan on returning to Japan in the future, hopefully the near future. Whether it be for visiting, further study, or to apply for a job, I know that it isn't the last time I will be in the Land of the Rising Sun. So until then, I will continue to study hard and keep in touch with the people who have been so good to me.

I have grown up a lot as a result of this trip. My views of the world have changed, I've become a bit more independent, and I've come to appreciate different cultures and peoples even more than I did before.
Of course, I've also made friendships that will last a lifetime. Being in the United States just doesn't feel the same anymore. There is a whole other world out there that holds part of my heart. I will never, ever forget that people who I met while studying at Nara Women's University, and I hope that they won't forget me.

I won't say that this is the end of a journey, because it feels like it is only the beginning. I will close this chapter and start a new, better one-- so keep your eyes peeled for the next big blog update!

For now I would like to say: "thanks for the memories." My trip to Japan has truly been the greatest time in my life to date, and I have you to thank for that. "You" know who you are. <3

またね！

08.12-14.11 Last Weekend in Nara

08.12 (金)

This should have been my day to rest and relax, but a bad dream woke me up early so I got up and chatted with friends online. Around noon, I met with Maki san and we made a trip to the Softbank store to put more minutes on my phone. Even though I only have a week left I decided to pay for more minutes because my phone is essential for communicating with people. Without it I am pretty much screwd. Once that was taken care of, we went to Tully's for coffee. At 1:00, I met my friend Asuka to help her study her English. She is preparing for a test next month so we went through some of her practice articles together.

When I had finished helping my friend, I spent some time in Vivre shopping for goodbye presents for Inoue sensei, Maki san, and Ena. Once I was satisfied with the gifts I found, I met Hana chan and we went to Saizeriya for dinner. We spent a long time talking and catching up before I walked her halfway to her part time job. The rest of the evening I spent in my room resting.

08.13 (土)

Saturday was a lot of fun! Hana chan and I met early to make a day trip to Kyoto. We visited the famous Kiyomizuderu temple (finally!) and weaved in and out of shops, mostly window shopping. Of course, we had to eat delicious food and kakigori (the Japanese version of a snow cone). It was extremely hot, so we got tired quickly and had to take a lot of breaks. We visited another large temple where we got to wade in some cool water, which was refreshing. Then we spent the rest of the time touring the large department store in Kyoto station. It sounds like we didn't do much, but Kyoto is pretty big so a lot of time was spent walking and riding the bus around town.

Kiyomizuderu

Drinking the famous water at Kiyomizudera

kakigori!

Lunch (udon)

We got back to Nara around 5:30 in the evening. I immediately went back to my room and put on my yukata in preparation for meeting Maki and Ena. The three of us walked around Nara to view some of the To-Kae, Nara's festival celebrating Obon. Thousands of lanterns and candles are lit all around the city. It was amazing to walk around and see all of the temples lit up!

A little later, Inoue sensei arrived in Nara. He rode the train from Kobe just to see me one more time before I have to leave! Together, the four of us went to a traditional Japanese restaurant and ate some of the most delicious Japanese food I've ever had. I gave everyone their gifts and they all seemed to like them, especially Inoue sensei. (I bought him a black USMC polo with "North Carolina" written on it. I got Ena and Maki scarfs that I hope they will wear in the fall.)

At the end of the night, I said my final goodbye to Inoue sensei. It was hard to keep the tears in as he gave me a hug farewell. He's been such a huge help to me during my time here in Japan, especially whenever I've had questions about my classes. I am going to miss him!

08.14 (日)

Sunday was a difficult day for me because it was my last day at church. I got up early to make muffins for everyone, and at 10:15 I went to church as usual, but the service was different from the ones in the past. Pastor had me sing a worship song of my choice for everyone. I chose my favorite, "Blessed By Your Name," and then I gave a small farewell speech (in Japanese). Half way through the speech though, I started to cry. Any Christian from a good church will tell you that the people in the church are the equivalent to their family, and that couldn't be more true of the people at Nara Full Gospel Church. They have all been so kind and caring towards me and I am really going to miss them all. After the regular service was over, everyone surprised me by throwing a farewell party for me. They even gave me gifts-- a cute t-shirt and a necklace that I immediately changed into. Of course, we took a million pictures, and I found myself tearing up as I hugged everyone goodbye. Definitely a bittersweet memory, but one that I will cherish forever. 

After church, I once again changed into my yukata in preparation to go to Nara's To-Kae. Around 6:30 I met with Hana chan and we went to dinner at the Indian restaurant that we've gone to a few times before. Every restaurant was completely packed with people who had come to see the festival. It probably didn't help that it was the last day for the light up so there were more people than usual. After we had eaten, we met with Bea and set out to walk around the city. Along the way we met up with Masami and Raphael and we made a party out of it. We got to see all of the major sites in Nara and I was once again amazed by how beautiful everything was. During my time in Japan I have seen some of the most people things in my life. I'm really blessed!

"Nihon" which means "Japan"

Giant flowers in Nara park

  

08.07-11.11 Adventure Time in Tokyo

You would think that going to Tokyo would be fun. It's one of the world's most famous cities, the capitol of Japan, and an example of industrialization at its finest. With this being said, you may be surprised when I tell you that I hated going to Tokyo. Okay, hate might be too strong of a strong word, but let's just say that I won't be rushing to go back anytime soon.

The thing that many don't realize about Tokyo is that it is huge-- with huge being an understatement. Tokyo is not just one "city", but cities within cities. Akihabara, Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku-- all of these "districts" are really cities within themselves, and it can take up to two hours to get from one end of Tokyo to the other (if you're lucky.) Also, there isn't really anything to do in Tokyo except for two things: shop and party. Both of which will cost you quite a bit considering how expensive the city is. So, being a poor college student, you can assume I was less than thrilled when I discovered this. 

Not all of my trip was bad, of course, but the overall feeling I get from Tokyo is that it is horribly overrated and probably the worst spot in Japan to go on vacation. 

08.07

We arrived at Tokyo Station around 7:00 on Sunday morning after taking the night bus from Kyoto around midnight the previous night. The night bus is the cheapest way to get to Tokyo. A round trip costs about $100 while a ticket on the shinkansen (bullet train) takes $100 for one way. However, it is probably the least comfortable way to travel. There isn't much room on the bus and it's extremely hard to sleep. Needless to say, we were exhausted when we arrived and immediately found a Starbucks before planning our next move, which would be to find the youth hostel where we would be staying.

This was easier said then done. Since Bea forgot to print the address for our hostel, we spent the better part of the morning looking for it. We asked several people, took two different trains to Asakusa, and wandered around in the blistering heat before arriving at the wrong hostel, then finding the right one. The exhausting sidetrip didn't deter us though. Once we dropped off our bags we went straight to Akihabara, the famous electronics center in Tokyo. Akihabara is popular among gamers and "otakus" because of the merchandise that is sold there. I spent (too much) money on Ghibli products before Bea and I visited a "Maid Cafe", which is just what it sounds like. Girls dressed as maids serve you ridiculously cute food and beverages-- for a steep price. Luckily, we went to one of the "kid friendly" cafes. Even so, it felt weird being served by high school age girls in costume.

We would have spent more time in Akihabara, but when we left the maid cafe a huge thunderstorm started and we got caught in the downpouring rain. Already tired from our trip to Tokyo, Bea and I opted to return to the hostel to rest.

08.08

Bea and I were fairly lazy when it came to starting our day. In fact, we didn't really leave the hostel until mid afternoon. When we finally got out, we visited Harajuku and Shibuya, two very famous shopping districts in Tokyo. Once again, I easily spent a lot of money (Tokyo is expensive!), but at least this time I bought cute shoes and clothes. It was a lot of fun wandering around Harajuku because of all of the various clothing styles that are on display there-- both in the stores and on the people. In fact, Harajuku is most famous for being a mecca for crazy fashions so I could have spent the entire time people-watching! In Shibuya, we visited the famous 109 department store and watched people walk across the famous cross walk from a third story window. Everywhere we went there were flashing lights, lots of people, and interesting things to be seen. 

Once again, we returned to the hostel in the evening absolutely exhausted from a long day of walking in the heat.   

08.10

This was my favorite day out of our entire trip-- probably because it wasn't spent in Tokyo, but in Hakone, a scenic area about two hours outside of the city. Hakone is one of Japan's most famous tourist spots because of its spectacular view of Mt. Fuji along with its natural hot springs. Bea and I spent the entire day walking around. Well, not all of it was walking. We managed to ride trains, cable cars, and boats in order to make our way around all of the mountains. The views were spectacular! Of course, we had to eat Hakone's famous "black eggs", which are eggs that they hard boil using the natural hot springs in the area. Because they cook them in the hot springs, the eggs shells burn black, therefore they are litterally "black eggs." Once we managed to see all of the best spots in Hakone, we went to an onsen to relax. We returned to Tokyo on the train around 9 PM. Bea received a text message from a friend in Tokyo who wanted to meet up, so we went our separate ways. I had every intention of returning to the hostel. All I had to do was take the train from Shinjuku to Kanda, then switch to the Ginza line and go to Asakusa. Easy, right? WRONG. I spent two hours riding the train in search of Kanda station. I even asked two different people who worked at the train stations how to get there, and both of them told me I was going in the right direction! Even so, I ended up horribly lost nowhere near where I supposed to be. To make things worse, the last train for the night departed a little after midnight and it was already midnight by the time I realized how lost I was. I ended up taking one more train in the direction of Asakusa, then took a taxi for a step 6,000 yen (over $60!). I got home exhausted and frustrated, and Bea was nowhere to be seen because she had decided to spend the night with her friend.  

08.11

Our last day in Tokyo was uneventful, mainly because Bea ended up getting lost on the train the same way I did on the way back from her friend's house. Because of this, we didn't meet up until five in the afternoon, and by then we were both too tired to do much. We wandered around Asakusa and bought gifts for people back in Nara (as is the Japanese custom), then we ate dinner and made our way towards Shinjuku, which was where our night bus would be leaving from.

We boarded our bus at 11:30 in the evening, but because of a mysterious two hour delay in our trip, didn't end up getting to Nara until 10:00 in the morning. The bus was horribly uncomfortable so we didn't sleep much, which meant we arrived to Nara feeling awful. Once I got back to my room I worked on unpacking, showered, took a nap, and got up to meet with Maki san so we could fill out some necessary paperwork. I spent the rest of the evening doing absolutely nothing, but still managed to be incredibly tired.

I know this update is late and probably pretty disappointing in spite of the fact that it is supposed to be about my trip to Tokyo, but there really isn't much to say about it. Unless you have a lot of money and like to party, there isn't anything to do in Tokyo except for shop, which is also expensive. I much prefer the calm, relaxed atmosphere of Nara to Tokyo. Also, I feel like Nara more accurately portrays Japan as a whole than Tokyo does. Tokyo is too much of a tourist center and industrial center to really reflect the Japanese spirit. 

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!