Well the past few days have been a little low key, but its alright. On the 27th, we went to Dazaifu Shrine, which was really pretty and I took lots of pictures as usual. We ate way too much for lunch (also as usual) and it was wonderful (the word for wonderful in japanese is すばらしい, which is read as "subarashii").
The 28th Noemi and I were completely lazy. Both of our parents were at work, so we made instant ramen (YUM) and watched Memoirs of a Geisha. It was really nice because both of us read the book while we have been in Japan, and then to watch the movie in Japan was really great. It is a beautiful story.
The 29th we went to Michelle's school, where she wore yukata and gave a presentation about Switzerland (her home country) and Japan. She has been here for four months so far, and goes home in February. She is really sweet and incredibly smart. She can speak Swiss-German, German, English, Japanese, Italian, and French fluently. Needless to say, I am jealous.
Today, the 30th, Noemi and I spent the day in Kurume with Oscar, Cameron, and Daniel. We saw the science and art museums. The Ishibashi Art museum was great; it had lots of famous artists and was interesting to see. We are currently waiting for my host brother to bring us pizza, so we can watch The Devil Wears Prada with my host family. Can you tell school is over? Haha. Noemi and I did pay for the pizza for my whole family though, because they have done so much for both of us. Today it was really great because on the bus ride home a woman started to talk to us in Japanese, and we actually understood her! She asked us if we were students, where we were attending school, where in Japan we were living, where we were from, and when we go home. And we could answer all of her questions, it was a great feeling.
This morning on the bus ride on the way to Kurume, we made some serious plans (Mom, Dad, I hope this is okay with you, haha)! We decided that next summer Noemi should come to the U.S. for a couple weeks; visit New York, San Francisco (with me and hopefully one of my parents of course), and then spend a week in Sedalia with us. And the summer after that, I will go to Italy and do the same, We think this is a wonderful plan, so we hope you do too. :):)
We have a busy couple of days coming up. Tomorrow we have a few errands to run, then we go out to lunch with my family, and then spend the night at Michelle's house. The next day we go to Yanagawa (a more traditional Japanese town where Daniel and his host family live) and spend the night there with a friend of Noemi's okaasan. Sometimes I have the feeling that we are simplybeing passed from Japanese person to Japanese person, but I don't mind. :) No plans on Monday, Tuesday Noemi goes home (much crying will be involved- we've already made a decison not to wear mascara that day), and Wednesday I go home (it's probably also wise not to wear mascara this day either, since I will be saying goodbye to my family). It's just insane. When I first arrived here, I was upset, homesick, and disappointed that Japan was different than I though it would be (foolish, I know). But after the first week here, I realized I had it all wrong. I am so happy to have been here. I am very happy to come home and see everyone that I love and miss, but I love and will miss the people here too. It's such a cliche, but this truly has gone by in the blink of an eye. I plan on enjoying every moment of this last week, and I will see you all very soon.
:)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
so close to being over...
Today was the speech and the farwell party. The speech was actually nice, and not nearly as horrible as I was thinking. The farewell party was sad though. At the beginning of this experience, I was like woww this is so long I am going to be here forever. And now here I am with one week left , still feeling as if I have just arrived. I think it is about time I listed all the things I love about Japan.
1. The people. Everyone I have met is open and kind, and they truly want to make you happy during your stay.
2. The language. Japanese language, in my opinion, is one of the most polite that exists. In Japanese, you almost never straight up say "no." You say, "chotto," which kind of means, not really, no thanks. It's really nice, the way people are rarely rude to one another. Do you know that the worst Japanese word I have learned during my stay is "bakka," which means stupid? And it is considered extremely rude even to say that. I also love some of the vocabulary. For instance, please is kudasai. Thank you is arigatoogozaimasu. You're welcome is doitashimashite. They answer the phone by saying moshi moshi. I think it is charming.
3. The hot springs (onsen). The Japanese people are not ashamed of their bodies. The hot springs is full of people very young, very old, and all ages in between. I think it is beautiful and unique.
4. The food. Japanese food is simply wonderful. Before you begin eating you say "itadakimasu" and after you have finished you say "gochisosamadeshita."
5. The traditions. To see people walking around in yukata (summer kimono) just on a normal day is such an elegant thing. Many things here in Japan strike me as being extremely elegant. The way they sit for long periods of time kneeling without saying a word? I mean, I cannot do it! But they simply accept and respect it as part of their culture. Tea ceremonies? Ikebana (flower arrangement)? I don't always understand them, but the Japanese people seem to respect and enjoy these traditions.
6. The shrines. They are gorgeous. Maybe I don't agree with the beliefs and such of many of the people here, but I like to think that the shrines are for everyone. When i go to a shrine, I feel it is a holy place too. Many times I have said a prayer when I visit them, it's just that I pray to a different power than the people here, and I think that's okay. Maybe religious diversity can be a difficult thing to accept or know how to feel about it, but I think it is something that is not so difficult to embrace. I am Christian, my host family is Buddhist, my friends from Sweden are atheists. But when I am talking with them, eating with them, I don't think about that, and it seems to me that they don't either. My host family has openly asked me what is my religion, what i it like? And I tell them. Many people I have met on this trip have had a variety of beliefs; I accept it even if I don't agree with it. Maybe this isn't the sort of thing I am supposed to be writing about on here and maybe it is not my place to be saying any of these things. But I find it is not so difficult to love people of many religions, and I think it is a good thing to do.
The things I love about Japan are not limited to this list, but these are a few of the main ones. Of course I am happy to come home and see everyone I love, but I love this place too. I think I would like to come back someday. I want to see more of Japan that I haven't gotten the opportunity to, and come back to see the people here that have opened their lives to me, without a single hesitation or doubt. I would also love to bring one of my family members here with me. I think Ethan would love it, and mom and dad too. It's hard to describe all of this to someone who hasn't been here, and I would love to bring Ethan or mom or dad back here with me someday. And this experience hasn't just been about Japan. I now have friends in Italy, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany. I no longer just have the desire to return to Japan, but I want to go to Italy and visit Noemi and eat gelato and pizza and pasta and see everything. I want to go to Australia to see Oscar and his "mates." I want to go to Switzerland to spend time with Michelle and her twin sister and eat chocolate. I want to go to Sweden and spend more time with Sebastian and Anton. I want to go to other parts of Asia, like India and China and Thailand. It's really indescribable. When I choose what I want to do and what college I want to go to, I will definitely have in the back of my mind: What career path will let me go everywhere? What college has good programs to study overseas? It all sound so silly when I type it out haha, but it really is a gret feeling. Anyway, thank you so much. For your support and patience and love and assurance when I was unsure. I appreciate you all.
Audrey
1. The people. Everyone I have met is open and kind, and they truly want to make you happy during your stay.
2. The language. Japanese language, in my opinion, is one of the most polite that exists. In Japanese, you almost never straight up say "no." You say, "chotto," which kind of means, not really, no thanks. It's really nice, the way people are rarely rude to one another. Do you know that the worst Japanese word I have learned during my stay is "bakka," which means stupid? And it is considered extremely rude even to say that. I also love some of the vocabulary. For instance, please is kudasai. Thank you is arigatoogozaimasu. You're welcome is doitashimashite. They answer the phone by saying moshi moshi. I think it is charming.
3. The hot springs (onsen). The Japanese people are not ashamed of their bodies. The hot springs is full of people very young, very old, and all ages in between. I think it is beautiful and unique.
4. The food. Japanese food is simply wonderful. Before you begin eating you say "itadakimasu" and after you have finished you say "gochisosamadeshita."
5. The traditions. To see people walking around in yukata (summer kimono) just on a normal day is such an elegant thing. Many things here in Japan strike me as being extremely elegant. The way they sit for long periods of time kneeling without saying a word? I mean, I cannot do it! But they simply accept and respect it as part of their culture. Tea ceremonies? Ikebana (flower arrangement)? I don't always understand them, but the Japanese people seem to respect and enjoy these traditions.
6. The shrines. They are gorgeous. Maybe I don't agree with the beliefs and such of many of the people here, but I like to think that the shrines are for everyone. When i go to a shrine, I feel it is a holy place too. Many times I have said a prayer when I visit them, it's just that I pray to a different power than the people here, and I think that's okay. Maybe religious diversity can be a difficult thing to accept or know how to feel about it, but I think it is something that is not so difficult to embrace. I am Christian, my host family is Buddhist, my friends from Sweden are atheists. But when I am talking with them, eating with them, I don't think about that, and it seems to me that they don't either. My host family has openly asked me what is my religion, what i it like? And I tell them. Many people I have met on this trip have had a variety of beliefs; I accept it even if I don't agree with it. Maybe this isn't the sort of thing I am supposed to be writing about on here and maybe it is not my place to be saying any of these things. But I find it is not so difficult to love people of many religions, and I think it is a good thing to do.
The things I love about Japan are not limited to this list, but these are a few of the main ones. Of course I am happy to come home and see everyone I love, but I love this place too. I think I would like to come back someday. I want to see more of Japan that I haven't gotten the opportunity to, and come back to see the people here that have opened their lives to me, without a single hesitation or doubt. I would also love to bring one of my family members here with me. I think Ethan would love it, and mom and dad too. It's hard to describe all of this to someone who hasn't been here, and I would love to bring Ethan or mom or dad back here with me someday. And this experience hasn't just been about Japan. I now have friends in Italy, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany. I no longer just have the desire to return to Japan, but I want to go to Italy and visit Noemi and eat gelato and pizza and pasta and see everything. I want to go to Australia to see Oscar and his "mates." I want to go to Switzerland to spend time with Michelle and her twin sister and eat chocolate. I want to go to Sweden and spend more time with Sebastian and Anton. I want to go to other parts of Asia, like India and China and Thailand. It's really indescribable. When I choose what I want to do and what college I want to go to, I will definitely have in the back of my mind: What career path will let me go everywhere? What college has good programs to study overseas? It all sound so silly when I type it out haha, but it really is a gret feeling. Anyway, thank you so much. For your support and patience and love and assurance when I was unsure. I appreciate you all.
Audrey
Saturday, July 25, 2009
whoo
Today I had to go to the hospital to get an IV injection for an allergic reaction I had to something here... so that was fun, haha. It's much better now and then I went out to lunch with some other AFS people. Now Noemi and I are watching Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn, which my host parents thought was very funny. Sorry this blog is so short! Other than the hospital visit, it has been a pretty uneventful day so I am basically just checking in. Tomorrow is the speech contest so I will write another longer blog later. :)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
July 23, 2009
Today was a great day, because it started off with Mister Donut. Yum. :)
We finished up our speeches at school today (WHEW), and then went to have lunch with the dentist. He took us to a beautiful traditional Japanese restaraunt, where we took out shoes off and sat on the tatami mats (this is something I love about Japan). Some of the food was weird; my impression of really traditional Japanese food is that most of it is served cold, and most of it has a really strong taste, so you either really like it or really hate it. But after the traditional stuff we had tempura, which i adore, haha. Then the dentist presented us with the yukata he bought for us and two women came in and taught us how to put them on ourselves. It is so complicated! Haha. But it was good to learn the proper way to do everything. Tomorrow, we are going to meet the mayor of Kurume. The four of us (Noemi, Cameron, Daniel and I) have to wear our yukata when we go to meet him, and a Japanese woman is going to help Noemi and I do Japanese hair and make up so I think it will be really cool! It was a great day, although the dentist did some strange things and I am no longer so sure of his good intentions. Either way it was kind of him t buy us yukata and I won't see him anymor during this trip.
Audrey:)
We finished up our speeches at school today (WHEW), and then went to have lunch with the dentist. He took us to a beautiful traditional Japanese restaraunt, where we took out shoes off and sat on the tatami mats (this is something I love about Japan). Some of the food was weird; my impression of really traditional Japanese food is that most of it is served cold, and most of it has a really strong taste, so you either really like it or really hate it. But after the traditional stuff we had tempura, which i adore, haha. Then the dentist presented us with the yukata he bought for us and two women came in and taught us how to put them on ourselves. It is so complicated! Haha. But it was good to learn the proper way to do everything. Tomorrow, we are going to meet the mayor of Kurume. The four of us (Noemi, Cameron, Daniel and I) have to wear our yukata when we go to meet him, and a Japanese woman is going to help Noemi and I do Japanese hair and make up so I think it will be really cool! It was a great day, although the dentist did some strange things and I am no longer so sure of his good intentions. Either way it was kind of him t buy us yukata and I won't see him anymor during this trip.
Audrey:)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July 22nd, 2009
It's late here, both of my parents are asleep so I will make this one short... or try to. :)
Today was really nice. This morning a little before 11AM, Japan experienced a solar eclipse. Our teacher let us go outside to watch, and it was beautiful. I didn't get any good pictures unfortunately, but it was really a unique thing to watch.
Lately we have been working on our speeches at school. I have maybe 3-4 minutes written (in Japanese!) and I have a bit more to finish in the next two days. It makes me very nervous. Giving a speech in English is really nothing, but giving a five minutes speech in Japanese to a group of Japanese people? Needless to say, I am a bit nervous.
After school we went to Fukuoka (again)! It was really great, we met Noemi's 25 year old host sister (Sayori) and did some sightseeing. We finally got to see Fukuoka Tower, where we got a beautiful view of Fukuoka. We alot went to the Hard Rock Cafe, where a keychain cost 2,800 yen (or $28)! There was a really pretty beach right near the tower where we spent about an hour. While we were there, there was a man dressed up in traditional cothing playing some kind of instrument. He noticed me taking his picture and asked, "Can I take a picture for you?" as he reached for my camera. I quickly said,"Kekko desu (no thank you)," because he looked a little too eager to take my camera from me.
Dinner was delicious, as always. I really do love Japanese food, and I will miss it. My okaasan is such a good cook. Not that my mom in Missouri isn't of course, because she is also a good cook. She just can't make Japanese dishes like my okaasan here. For dinner we had udon noodles and tempura. Udon is like ramen, but the noodles are thicker and flat, and tempura is huge pieces of deep fried shrimp, other meats, ad vegetables. We got home around 10:30. Only two weeks left in Japan.
Today was really nice. This morning a little before 11AM, Japan experienced a solar eclipse. Our teacher let us go outside to watch, and it was beautiful. I didn't get any good pictures unfortunately, but it was really a unique thing to watch.
Lately we have been working on our speeches at school. I have maybe 3-4 minutes written (in Japanese!) and I have a bit more to finish in the next two days. It makes me very nervous. Giving a speech in English is really nothing, but giving a five minutes speech in Japanese to a group of Japanese people? Needless to say, I am a bit nervous.
After school we went to Fukuoka (again)! It was really great, we met Noemi's 25 year old host sister (Sayori) and did some sightseeing. We finally got to see Fukuoka Tower, where we got a beautiful view of Fukuoka. We alot went to the Hard Rock Cafe, where a keychain cost 2,800 yen (or $28)! There was a really pretty beach right near the tower where we spent about an hour. While we were there, there was a man dressed up in traditional cothing playing some kind of instrument. He noticed me taking his picture and asked, "Can I take a picture for you?" as he reached for my camera. I quickly said,"Kekko desu (no thank you)," because he looked a little too eager to take my camera from me.
Dinner was delicious, as always. I really do love Japanese food, and I will miss it. My okaasan is such a good cook. Not that my mom in Missouri isn't of course, because she is also a good cook. She just can't make Japanese dishes like my okaasan here. For dinner we had udon noodles and tempura. Udon is like ramen, but the noodles are thicker and flat, and tempura is huge pieces of deep fried shrimp, other meats, ad vegetables. We got home around 10:30. Only two weeks left in Japan.
Monday, July 20, 2009
July 20th, 2009
Today I went to Kummoto Castle and the hot springs. It was so great! Kumamoto Castle was beautiful. I can't really describe it, but I bought postcards and took millions of pictures. It's got a huge wall around it, and a moat surrounding it, but it's empty now. The funny thing was I noticed these two guys that were obviously not Japanese, as one was blonde and one was a redhead. I head them talking and it wasn't in English. But I decided I would try and ask them where they are from. It ends up the can speak English, and they are from Sweden. The blonde one, Anton, is studying here for one year and speaks fluent Japanese. His friend, Sebastian, is visiting him for one month. They were really nice and my host parents invited them to eat lunch with us and come to the hot springs!
We ate lunch at a tempura restaraunt, which I can best describe as delicious deep fried stuff. :)
The hot springs were gorgeous. They weren'r so unlike a public bath, where you first wash yourself off at the small stools and showerheads and then get in the big bath. Half of it was indoor, and the other half was outdoor. The outdoor part was so pretty. It looked very natural, with a smooth rock bottom and rocks to sit or lean on. One half of the outdoor part was hot water, and then a sections of cool water was next to it. It was really nice and the Japanese people consider this a sort of spa.
Anton and Sebastian came with my family and talked for a while. They exchanged contact information and I think we are going to meet them in Fukuoka this Friday. I really only go on a few trips away from home with my host parents, so it is nice when Noemi and I get to travel with other people. I think Michelle will join us too. :) And on August 1st and 2nd, Noemi and I are going to Yanagawa to sightsee. We will stay with a friend of Noemi's host mom. Sometimes I feel I am literally being passed from Japanese person to Japanese person haha, but at least they are all close friends and Noemi is with me, so I always feel comfortable and safe.
I miss you all. Keep commenting, I love hearing from you. :)
We ate lunch at a tempura restaraunt, which I can best describe as delicious deep fried stuff. :)
The hot springs were gorgeous. They weren'r so unlike a public bath, where you first wash yourself off at the small stools and showerheads and then get in the big bath. Half of it was indoor, and the other half was outdoor. The outdoor part was so pretty. It looked very natural, with a smooth rock bottom and rocks to sit or lean on. One half of the outdoor part was hot water, and then a sections of cool water was next to it. It was really nice and the Japanese people consider this a sort of spa.
Anton and Sebastian came with my family and talked for a while. They exchanged contact information and I think we are going to meet them in Fukuoka this Friday. I really only go on a few trips away from home with my host parents, so it is nice when Noemi and I get to travel with other people. I think Michelle will join us too. :) And on August 1st and 2nd, Noemi and I are going to Yanagawa to sightsee. We will stay with a friend of Noemi's host mom. Sometimes I feel I am literally being passed from Japanese person to Japanese person haha, but at least they are all close friends and Noemi is with me, so I always feel comfortable and safe.
I miss you all. Keep commenting, I love hearing from you. :)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Space World
Today I went to Space World. It was actually really fun. My host brother Yuchi, who is 27, and his friend and his friend's girlfriend, who are also in their late 20's, took me. They were really nice, and even though they don't speak much English, and I don't soeak much Japanese, we had a really fun day. There was one huuuge ride that Yuichi and his friend loved, so they made us ride it SEVEN TIMES! It was great though, we rode the ride so many times that we figured out where the camera on the ride was and we posed for our pictures... I bought one of them. :) The bad part of the day was I spilled ice cream on myself, and I got 23 mosquito bites. I'm not kidding, I counted and I have 23. Haha it's horrible! One funny part of the day was the way that the three of them kept picking up phrases from me. For instance, when we were about to get on one ride, I looked up and said, "Oh man." And they just thought it was hilarious and were saying it all day. The same went for "Geez," and when I saw the ride that we went on 7 times I said, "Scary!" and they just cracked up. It was really fun. My legs itch sooo bad though. I hate mosquitos. Haha. Tomorrow I am going to Kumamoto Caste, the hot springs, and another fireworks festival, so probably a longer blog in a couple days. :)
Friday, July 17, 2009
all the titles of my blogs are lame:)
Hello again. :) Today I went to see Harry Potter, so that was fun. I also started on the 5 minute speech in Japanese. So far I have about fifteen sentences about my family in the U.S. and I called my dad and read it to him tonight. But other than that it has been a pretty uneventful day. Since I have already told you my schedule for the whole weekend, I thought I would tell you some news that I heard today.
Remember the creepy dentist? Well Mrs. Epp you were right, he is actually a really nice person. Today we were leaving school and he ran up to us, holding a bag. In the bag was a small photo album he had made for us with all the pictures he had taken. I thought it was so strange the number of photos he made us pose for, but today I realized it was so he could make this gift for us. And that isn't all! On the 23rd of July, he is taking us out to lunch again and he said he has more gifts for us. He bought all four of us yukata (this is like a kimono, but it is lighter for the summer season.) I was amazed. To get a good quality yukatta is an expensive gift for four teenagers that you've only met a couple times! He said we each have a yukata, a robe, and the traditional wooden sandles (they have a name, but I can't remember it.) He told me that mine is pink and Noemi's is violet, and I don't remember about Cameron and Daniel's. Still, it is incredibly generous. I will now come home with two yukata! Can't wait to show you all. :)
Melissa:
Maybe when I give my presentation about Japan at Smith Cotton, you can be my assistant and wear one yukata while I wear the other. Sound good? :)
Remember the creepy dentist? Well Mrs. Epp you were right, he is actually a really nice person. Today we were leaving school and he ran up to us, holding a bag. In the bag was a small photo album he had made for us with all the pictures he had taken. I thought it was so strange the number of photos he made us pose for, but today I realized it was so he could make this gift for us. And that isn't all! On the 23rd of July, he is taking us out to lunch again and he said he has more gifts for us. He bought all four of us yukata (this is like a kimono, but it is lighter for the summer season.) I was amazed. To get a good quality yukatta is an expensive gift for four teenagers that you've only met a couple times! He said we each have a yukata, a robe, and the traditional wooden sandles (they have a name, but I can't remember it.) He told me that mine is pink and Noemi's is violet, and I don't remember about Cameron and Daniel's. Still, it is incredibly generous. I will now come home with two yukata! Can't wait to show you all. :)
Melissa:
Maybe when I give my presentation about Japan at Smith Cotton, you can be my assistant and wear one yukata while I wear the other. Sound good? :)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
konbanwa! (that means good evening)
Hello everyone. Sorry i haven't posted a new blog sooner, not much has happened the past couple of days. Last night Noemi and I went to a fireworks festival with my host parents, but it started raining and I was the only one who had an umbrella. I offered it to my otoosan and okaasan, but they refused and used newspapers instead, haha. At least I got some funny pictures out of it. Tonight I went to an ikibana, or traditional flower arrangement, class. It is a class thatmy okaasan and her friends take, and it was hosted at the same house as the tea ceremony. When you first walk in the house there is a bucket that has bundles of flowers wrapped in newspaper, one for each person. Then you are to mae a flower arrangement and get graded on it by the sensee, and then draw your work. It was interesting. I got to make one too but with less fancy stuff, and mine wasn't that good, haha.
Since I don't have much new news I thought I could tell a couple funny things that have happened while I have been here. When I first arrived in Japan, the stress and travel and climate changes made me break out. My second night here my host parents pointed at my face and said, "What's that?" and i said, "Acne." Since they weren't familiar with the word acne, they looked in up in the small computerized dictionary in the kitchen. Once they figured out what it was they were like, "Ohh acne, I see," and I figured that was the end of it. But I didn't realize that whenever they would introduce me to their friends they would say, "This is Audrey. SHe has acne." I swear they introduced me to at least 3 people that way! I kept thinking, "Is that really the only quality that I have worth mentioning the first time my family introduces me to someone??" Haha. I don't think that they realize that that is rude and embarrassing. Maybe it was just odd to see since almost every Japanese person I have met has had perfect skin (lucky!). Thankfully my face cleared up after a week and they stopped introducing me like that.
Another thing that I think is funny is dinner time. The way to say "time for dinner," in Japanese is, "gohan desu yo." But my host dad likes to say, "Audrey, come and get it!" It's hilarious. My host mom prefers to say it in Japanese, but my host dad just loves yelling "come and get it."
The way my name is pronounced here is so cute. They literally say, "O-DO-REE." When Noemi and I went to a big dance festival in Kurume, the announcers kept saying "odori," before every act. And I kept wonder why they were saying my name? I learned a week later that "odori" means "dance." Another funny thing about my name is there is currently a male commedian who is very popular among young people in Japan. So when I went to the middle school earlier this week and I was wearing a name tag, all the kids there thought it was hilarious that my name is Audrey.
Tomorrow I am going to see Harry Potter at the movie theatre (in English with Japanese subtitles... haha), Saturday my family is having a barbeque, Sunday I am going to Space Workd (an amusement park) with my host brother Yuichi and his friend, and Monday I should be going to Kumamoto Castle and a big fireworks festival. So I will have a long blog coming in a few days. :) Only 5 days left of Japanese language school, and then a five minute speech in Japanese!
Audrey
Since I don't have much new news I thought I could tell a couple funny things that have happened while I have been here. When I first arrived in Japan, the stress and travel and climate changes made me break out. My second night here my host parents pointed at my face and said, "What's that?" and i said, "Acne." Since they weren't familiar with the word acne, they looked in up in the small computerized dictionary in the kitchen. Once they figured out what it was they were like, "Ohh acne, I see," and I figured that was the end of it. But I didn't realize that whenever they would introduce me to their friends they would say, "This is Audrey. SHe has acne." I swear they introduced me to at least 3 people that way! I kept thinking, "Is that really the only quality that I have worth mentioning the first time my family introduces me to someone??" Haha. I don't think that they realize that that is rude and embarrassing. Maybe it was just odd to see since almost every Japanese person I have met has had perfect skin (lucky!). Thankfully my face cleared up after a week and they stopped introducing me like that.
Another thing that I think is funny is dinner time. The way to say "time for dinner," in Japanese is, "gohan desu yo." But my host dad likes to say, "Audrey, come and get it!" It's hilarious. My host mom prefers to say it in Japanese, but my host dad just loves yelling "come and get it."
The way my name is pronounced here is so cute. They literally say, "O-DO-REE." When Noemi and I went to a big dance festival in Kurume, the announcers kept saying "odori," before every act. And I kept wonder why they were saying my name? I learned a week later that "odori" means "dance." Another funny thing about my name is there is currently a male commedian who is very popular among young people in Japan. So when I went to the middle school earlier this week and I was wearing a name tag, all the kids there thought it was hilarious that my name is Audrey.
Tomorrow I am going to see Harry Potter at the movie theatre (in English with Japanese subtitles... haha), Saturday my family is having a barbeque, Sunday I am going to Space Workd (an amusement park) with my host brother Yuichi and his friend, and Monday I should be going to Kumamoto Castle and a big fireworks festival. So I will have a long blog coming in a few days. :) Only 5 days left of Japanese language school, and then a five minute speech in Japanese!
Audrey
Monday, July 13, 2009
great day :)
Today we went to school, as usual. Then at 2:00 the four of us got to spend an hour at a Japanese middle school just a block away from our teacher's home. Today I joined English class with a group of 14 and 15 year olds, tomorrow I will join a Music class, and Wednesday I will be in a Math class (ew.. haha). But it was great. The second I walked in, all of the girls started screaming, "kawaii, kawaii!" which means "cute, cute," haha. Everyone was really nice and I got to introduce myself in Japanese, and then join the class.
After school today, I finally bought a kimono. I wasn't really planning on it until I read the comment on one of my previous blogs from Mrs. Engles saying that I should. And even then I was skeptical, because even the poorer qualitly kimonos here are over 100 dollars. But then today, in a store above Kurume Station, I found one for about 39 U.S. dollars! It's not really a traditonal pattern, because those are really only pretty if they are silk. The cotton traditional patterns just look a little cheesey. But it's really pretty and I am excited. :)
Last night's sushi was wonderful. There is rotating belt inbetween two long rows of tables, so the sushi literally just moves right past your table and you grab what you want. Thankfully, orange plates warned you if there was wasabi, and white plates said there was none. :)
Now I am watching sumo wrestling on tv, and I am about to go to the post office to mail a box of gifts home. Miss you all. :)
Melissa: Your comments never fail to make me smile, so please keep them coming. You are clever and wonderful and we will open a Mrs. Donuts when I get home and make lots of money. When I get home we can sit on my couch with bugles and cups of ice and Gilmore Girls and Law and Order (SVU of course).
Mama, Daddy, Ethan: You're going to love your Japanese gifts. :) Can't wait till Shun comes, and he can continue my Japanese lessons. After I'm fluent (HA), he and I can teach you guys. Love you so much. And tell Mary I love her, and she of course will be getting a gift from Japan as well.
Mrs. Epp and Mrs. Engles: Thank you for your support, your comments, and for always reading my blog. You're both wonderful.
Aud:)
After school today, I finally bought a kimono. I wasn't really planning on it until I read the comment on one of my previous blogs from Mrs. Engles saying that I should. And even then I was skeptical, because even the poorer qualitly kimonos here are over 100 dollars. But then today, in a store above Kurume Station, I found one for about 39 U.S. dollars! It's not really a traditonal pattern, because those are really only pretty if they are silk. The cotton traditional patterns just look a little cheesey. But it's really pretty and I am excited. :)
Last night's sushi was wonderful. There is rotating belt inbetween two long rows of tables, so the sushi literally just moves right past your table and you grab what you want. Thankfully, orange plates warned you if there was wasabi, and white plates said there was none. :)
Now I am watching sumo wrestling on tv, and I am about to go to the post office to mail a box of gifts home. Miss you all. :)
Melissa: Your comments never fail to make me smile, so please keep them coming. You are clever and wonderful and we will open a Mrs. Donuts when I get home and make lots of money. When I get home we can sit on my couch with bugles and cups of ice and Gilmore Girls and Law and Order (SVU of course).
Mama, Daddy, Ethan: You're going to love your Japanese gifts. :) Can't wait till Shun comes, and he can continue my Japanese lessons. After I'm fluent (HA), he and I can teach you guys. Love you so much. And tell Mary I love her, and she of course will be getting a gift from Japan as well.
Mrs. Epp and Mrs. Engles: Thank you for your support, your comments, and for always reading my blog. You're both wonderful.
Aud:)
Saturday, July 11, 2009
japanese tea ceremony
This weekend has been great, and it's not quite over yet. On Saturday I went to a camp in Tachibana Village. There were lots of AFS and EF students there. They included:
Me :)
Noemi, from Italy, AFS
Cameron, from Illinois, AFS
Daniel, from New York, AFS
Alex, from Los Angeles, AFS
Michelle, from Switzerland, AFS
Oscar, from Australia, EF
Sarah, from Germany EF
Everyone there was great, and a few Japanese students joined us as well, but I am sorry to say I forgot their names!
The site was beautiful, and I have lots of new pictures! There was a stream that ran directly through that had a bridge and a small waterfall, and a mountain path that we walked. The cutest thing happened while we were there. There was apparently a bunch of elementary school kids that were on a baseball/softball team also using the facility. Next to the eating area was a large square shallow concrete pool. It was filled with water and the Japanese children were going crazy running around the pool and splashing and grabbing at the water. When Noemi and I got closer, we saw that the pool was filled with mackeral, small fish! And the kids were supposed to catch the fish with their hands and put them in a big trash can filled with water (we didn't know until later that after all the fish we caught, they were put on sticks for the kids to cook in the fire). But they smiled at the small group of teenage foreigners that surrounded them and invited us to join. Michelle and I were the only students out of the 8 of us who would! Haha, so we rolled up our jeans and hopped in. It was hilarious. The fish were insanely fast, and so were the little kids. Finally Michelle and I each caught a fish and help them up and took pictures. Then we all ate dinner, played cards for a couple hours, and went to bed.
The next morning (Sunday), we packed up our stuff and headed home. After taking showers, Noemi and I had the honor of attending a tea ceremony at one of my neighbor's house. I will warn you right now that there were a million tiny details to this ceremony and it was beautiful, but my description will definitely not do it justice so I apologize in advance.
We walked in and took off our shoes as usual. Then we were escorted into a traditional Japanese room, with tatami mats and sliding doors with screens. Everyone else knelt while Noemi and I were led to chairs! We were obviously were being given special treatment, so we said it was really okay for us to kneel. We had been to a couple restaraunts where you removed your shoes and knelt the whole meal, so we thought we could handle it. I can't speak for Noemi, but kneeling for that long was extremely painful! Finally they offered us small stools that you sit on and tuck your legs on each side, so it mimics kneeling without putting so much pressure on your ankles and making your toes numb. I saw later that both of my host parents have caulics (spelling?) on their feel from kneeling so much during their lives, and it was obviously painful. Anyway, once we sat down and it was apparent that the ceremony was about to start, Noemi motioned to her camera and asked if it was ok for us to take pictures. My okaasan (host mother) shook her head a little sharply, so we put them away. We didn't really know what to do or when to bow and we obviously looked as clueless as we were. But we soon found that the man running the ceremony didn't mind at all. He told us we were welcome to take pictures and helped give us some instruction. Roughly, this is the order of the ceremony:
1. After kneeling, everyone is given a small paper napkin and a plate with two types of candy on it is passed around and you are to take one of each. One was a small flower shape and one was circular and wrapped in paper.
2. Then the man who runs the ceremony does a lot of stuff. He has what looks like a thick cloth dinner napkin tucked in his waistband. There are lots of ceramic cups and bowls in from of him as well as a couple unfamiliar utensils. He takes the cloth out of his waistband and wipes off some of the utensils and containers. He folds the cloth a different way to wipe each item, opening containers and checking them and such. I'm sure I am leaving some things out and will continue to, so again I apologize.
3. After all of this is done, the cloth goes back into his waistband and the actual tea part of the ceremony begins. He removes the lid from one container that contains green tea powder, and uses one of the utensils to take 2 and 1/2 scoops from the powder and puts them in a small bowl. He closes it and puts it back, and then uses what looks kind of like a wooden ladle to take hot water from a container and pour it into the bowl with the powder. After again putting everything back where it previously was, he takes what I can best describe as a small wooden whisk with a short handle and mixed it quicky. He replaces the which and uses his right hand to place the bowl on the other side of him. Then he shuffles to face the bowl, picks it up and kneels in front of the first person (which happened to be me) and places it in front of them and bows. I was expected to bow back and I did, but later my okaasan showed me the proper way to bow during a tea ceremony. Before you drink the tea you eat the flower shaped piece of candy, which sort of melts in your mouth. Then you drink the entire bowl of hot green tea placed in front of you. I later learned that I was supposed to drink it in three gulps, but at the time I had no idea. After drinking the tea, it is polite to say "oishii katta," which means " it was good." Then you unwrap and eat the round piece of candy, and the ceremony continues on down the line. After everyone has had hot tea, the bowls are collected. Then the action is basically repeated as was my understanding, but with cold green tea. It sounds so short, but when each person's tea is prepared and presented indiviually (and there were 8 or 9 people there), and the same actions are so meticulously repeated with each person, it takes a while. It was a beautiful thing to see, even if I messed up and can't remember or understand all the actions of the man preparing the tea.
After this, the man ( whose name I have also forgotten, sorry!) gave Noemi and I both photocopies of a short book called The Book Of Tea, which was written both in Japanese and English. Once I read it, maybe I will be able to better understand everything, haha. We were also served vanilla ice cream in bowls, and when I asked if this was also a part of the tea ceremony everyone laughed. "They just thought you'd like some ice cream," my otoosan laughed.
Then the man who had performed the ceremony asked if Noemi and I would like to learn. Obviously we said yes, and we got to scoop the green tea powder, fill the bowl with hot water, mix it, and present it. I hadn't realized until then that there was a specific way to hold and use each of the utensils! My okaasan took pictures of me, and they look really funny. It was an interesting experience and I am glad I had the honor to be a part of it.
Anyway, tonight we are going out for sushi at what my okaasan described as a "rotating sushi bar," so I am excited. Sushi isn't my favorite, but it's really not bad. While in Japan I have only had three things that I truly thought were, well gross. Everything else had been delicious; my okaasan is a great cook. But the three things I didn't like were:
Nato: beans with some kind of thick, sticky paste around it. I only had two or three of the beans in my mouth, but it was a taste that I can't describe as anything but bitter.
Sea Urchin: I had this when I went to lunch with my friends and the dentist. It was orange and squishy and left a horrible aftertaste. We ate Mister Donuts afterward to get rid of the bad taste.
Wasabi: I had only had wasabi in small portions before, and it wasn't bad. But when we were eating sushi that day with the dentist, we honestly had no idea what we were eating. There was a roll of rice wrapped in sushi with something green and red in the middle. Without thinking, I out the whole thing in my mouth. It was then I realized that the thick green part in the middle was wasabi. If you've ever had wasabi, especially a chunk as big as what was in that roll, you might understand why I am no longer quite so fond of it! Haha.
The funny thing is that I can only remember the names of the foods I didn't like. My host mom is a wonderful cook, but the names of the dishes are so long that I can't remember. So I have instead begun taking pictures of my dinner every night, which I think my family finds amusing.
Thanks again to everyone who reads this. Sorry this one is so long. :)
Me :)
Noemi, from Italy, AFS
Cameron, from Illinois, AFS
Daniel, from New York, AFS
Alex, from Los Angeles, AFS
Michelle, from Switzerland, AFS
Oscar, from Australia, EF
Sarah, from Germany EF
Everyone there was great, and a few Japanese students joined us as well, but I am sorry to say I forgot their names!
The site was beautiful, and I have lots of new pictures! There was a stream that ran directly through that had a bridge and a small waterfall, and a mountain path that we walked. The cutest thing happened while we were there. There was apparently a bunch of elementary school kids that were on a baseball/softball team also using the facility. Next to the eating area was a large square shallow concrete pool. It was filled with water and the Japanese children were going crazy running around the pool and splashing and grabbing at the water. When Noemi and I got closer, we saw that the pool was filled with mackeral, small fish! And the kids were supposed to catch the fish with their hands and put them in a big trash can filled with water (we didn't know until later that after all the fish we caught, they were put on sticks for the kids to cook in the fire). But they smiled at the small group of teenage foreigners that surrounded them and invited us to join. Michelle and I were the only students out of the 8 of us who would! Haha, so we rolled up our jeans and hopped in. It was hilarious. The fish were insanely fast, and so were the little kids. Finally Michelle and I each caught a fish and help them up and took pictures. Then we all ate dinner, played cards for a couple hours, and went to bed.
The next morning (Sunday), we packed up our stuff and headed home. After taking showers, Noemi and I had the honor of attending a tea ceremony at one of my neighbor's house. I will warn you right now that there were a million tiny details to this ceremony and it was beautiful, but my description will definitely not do it justice so I apologize in advance.
We walked in and took off our shoes as usual. Then we were escorted into a traditional Japanese room, with tatami mats and sliding doors with screens. Everyone else knelt while Noemi and I were led to chairs! We were obviously were being given special treatment, so we said it was really okay for us to kneel. We had been to a couple restaraunts where you removed your shoes and knelt the whole meal, so we thought we could handle it. I can't speak for Noemi, but kneeling for that long was extremely painful! Finally they offered us small stools that you sit on and tuck your legs on each side, so it mimics kneeling without putting so much pressure on your ankles and making your toes numb. I saw later that both of my host parents have caulics (spelling?) on their feel from kneeling so much during their lives, and it was obviously painful. Anyway, once we sat down and it was apparent that the ceremony was about to start, Noemi motioned to her camera and asked if it was ok for us to take pictures. My okaasan (host mother) shook her head a little sharply, so we put them away. We didn't really know what to do or when to bow and we obviously looked as clueless as we were. But we soon found that the man running the ceremony didn't mind at all. He told us we were welcome to take pictures and helped give us some instruction. Roughly, this is the order of the ceremony:
1. After kneeling, everyone is given a small paper napkin and a plate with two types of candy on it is passed around and you are to take one of each. One was a small flower shape and one was circular and wrapped in paper.
2. Then the man who runs the ceremony does a lot of stuff. He has what looks like a thick cloth dinner napkin tucked in his waistband. There are lots of ceramic cups and bowls in from of him as well as a couple unfamiliar utensils. He takes the cloth out of his waistband and wipes off some of the utensils and containers. He folds the cloth a different way to wipe each item, opening containers and checking them and such. I'm sure I am leaving some things out and will continue to, so again I apologize.
3. After all of this is done, the cloth goes back into his waistband and the actual tea part of the ceremony begins. He removes the lid from one container that contains green tea powder, and uses one of the utensils to take 2 and 1/2 scoops from the powder and puts them in a small bowl. He closes it and puts it back, and then uses what looks kind of like a wooden ladle to take hot water from a container and pour it into the bowl with the powder. After again putting everything back where it previously was, he takes what I can best describe as a small wooden whisk with a short handle and mixed it quicky. He replaces the which and uses his right hand to place the bowl on the other side of him. Then he shuffles to face the bowl, picks it up and kneels in front of the first person (which happened to be me) and places it in front of them and bows. I was expected to bow back and I did, but later my okaasan showed me the proper way to bow during a tea ceremony. Before you drink the tea you eat the flower shaped piece of candy, which sort of melts in your mouth. Then you drink the entire bowl of hot green tea placed in front of you. I later learned that I was supposed to drink it in three gulps, but at the time I had no idea. After drinking the tea, it is polite to say "oishii katta," which means " it was good." Then you unwrap and eat the round piece of candy, and the ceremony continues on down the line. After everyone has had hot tea, the bowls are collected. Then the action is basically repeated as was my understanding, but with cold green tea. It sounds so short, but when each person's tea is prepared and presented indiviually (and there were 8 or 9 people there), and the same actions are so meticulously repeated with each person, it takes a while. It was a beautiful thing to see, even if I messed up and can't remember or understand all the actions of the man preparing the tea.
After this, the man ( whose name I have also forgotten, sorry!) gave Noemi and I both photocopies of a short book called The Book Of Tea, which was written both in Japanese and English. Once I read it, maybe I will be able to better understand everything, haha. We were also served vanilla ice cream in bowls, and when I asked if this was also a part of the tea ceremony everyone laughed. "They just thought you'd like some ice cream," my otoosan laughed.
Then the man who had performed the ceremony asked if Noemi and I would like to learn. Obviously we said yes, and we got to scoop the green tea powder, fill the bowl with hot water, mix it, and present it. I hadn't realized until then that there was a specific way to hold and use each of the utensils! My okaasan took pictures of me, and they look really funny. It was an interesting experience and I am glad I had the honor to be a part of it.
Anyway, tonight we are going out for sushi at what my okaasan described as a "rotating sushi bar," so I am excited. Sushi isn't my favorite, but it's really not bad. While in Japan I have only had three things that I truly thought were, well gross. Everything else had been delicious; my okaasan is a great cook. But the three things I didn't like were:
Nato: beans with some kind of thick, sticky paste around it. I only had two or three of the beans in my mouth, but it was a taste that I can't describe as anything but bitter.
Sea Urchin: I had this when I went to lunch with my friends and the dentist. It was orange and squishy and left a horrible aftertaste. We ate Mister Donuts afterward to get rid of the bad taste.
Wasabi: I had only had wasabi in small portions before, and it wasn't bad. But when we were eating sushi that day with the dentist, we honestly had no idea what we were eating. There was a roll of rice wrapped in sushi with something green and red in the middle. Without thinking, I out the whole thing in my mouth. It was then I realized that the thick green part in the middle was wasabi. If you've ever had wasabi, especially a chunk as big as what was in that roll, you might understand why I am no longer quite so fond of it! Haha.
The funny thing is that I can only remember the names of the foods I didn't like. My host mom is a wonderful cook, but the names of the dishes are so long that I can't remember. So I have instead begun taking pictures of my dinner every night, which I think my family finds amusing.
Thanks again to everyone who reads this. Sorry this one is so long. :)
Thursday, July 9, 2009
good day:)
Today was a good day. I went to school, which was great since on wednesdays and thursdays we have Sensee Tajiri, who is my favorite. She is extremely patient but at the same time she doesn't let you slack off. I feel overwhelmed when a couple of the other teachers aren't so patient, especially since Japanese is so difficult starting from scratch, it stresses me out! But I have a notebook almost halfway full of notes already, if anyone is interested in learning Japanese when I get home, haha. :)
Today's lesson was about verbs, along with past and present tense. By the end of class I had written a paragraph about what I did yesterday in hirigana, so I was pretty excited about that, haha.
So there is a dentist's office across the street from my teacher's school, and for some reason he has taken some sort of fascination with Noemi, Cameron, Daniel and myself. He's nice enough but slightly creepy, especially since he wears his camera around his neck and takes multiple photos of us individually, haha. But today my teacher let us out of school at 12:30 because the dentist asked if he could take us out to lunch. We went to eat sushi and it was pretty good, except for a couple mysterious things that left gross aftertastes. When we asked what some of the things we were eating were, he just shrugged, so I am really not sure! But we all went to Mister Donut afterward, since this week is a big sale and every donut is just 100 yen. :)
After Mister Donut, we had a couple hours before we were expected home. So we got on bus #2 to go to YouMe Town, a huge shopping center. There I got the last of my gifts for people in Sedalia. I am excited because I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to find nice gifts for the the many people on my list! But I am very happy with the things I bought, and am so excited to give them to everyone when I get home. :)
A couple days ago my okaasan (host mother) was folding a pair of my jeans and she started laughing really hard. I turned around and saw her holding my pants up to her, and they were so long that they went from her feet all the way to her shoulders! I took a picture, it was so funny. Obviously I am much taller than many people here. In fact the first words out of my otoosan's mouth when I first met him and my okaasan were, "Wow you are tall!"
Oh another thing. Last night my okaasan wasn't going to be home until late, so my otoosan and my host brother Yuichi decided to order pizza from Pizza Pockets. I trusted them to do the ordering. We had teryaki chicken pizza, tomato bacon pizza, and potato pizza. I had never had the tomato bacon or potato, and they were amazing. Haha I realize this has nothing to do with Japanese culture, I just thought I would tell you that everyone should try potato pizza because it is great.
Anyway guess that's it for now. Thanks to everyone taking the time to read this. :)
Today's lesson was about verbs, along with past and present tense. By the end of class I had written a paragraph about what I did yesterday in hirigana, so I was pretty excited about that, haha.
So there is a dentist's office across the street from my teacher's school, and for some reason he has taken some sort of fascination with Noemi, Cameron, Daniel and myself. He's nice enough but slightly creepy, especially since he wears his camera around his neck and takes multiple photos of us individually, haha. But today my teacher let us out of school at 12:30 because the dentist asked if he could take us out to lunch. We went to eat sushi and it was pretty good, except for a couple mysterious things that left gross aftertastes. When we asked what some of the things we were eating were, he just shrugged, so I am really not sure! But we all went to Mister Donut afterward, since this week is a big sale and every donut is just 100 yen. :)
After Mister Donut, we had a couple hours before we were expected home. So we got on bus #2 to go to YouMe Town, a huge shopping center. There I got the last of my gifts for people in Sedalia. I am excited because I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to find nice gifts for the the many people on my list! But I am very happy with the things I bought, and am so excited to give them to everyone when I get home. :)
A couple days ago my okaasan (host mother) was folding a pair of my jeans and she started laughing really hard. I turned around and saw her holding my pants up to her, and they were so long that they went from her feet all the way to her shoulders! I took a picture, it was so funny. Obviously I am much taller than many people here. In fact the first words out of my otoosan's mouth when I first met him and my okaasan were, "Wow you are tall!"
Oh another thing. Last night my okaasan wasn't going to be home until late, so my otoosan and my host brother Yuichi decided to order pizza from Pizza Pockets. I trusted them to do the ordering. We had teryaki chicken pizza, tomato bacon pizza, and potato pizza. I had never had the tomato bacon or potato, and they were amazing. Haha I realize this has nothing to do with Japanese culture, I just thought I would tell you that everyone should try potato pizza because it is great.
Anyway guess that's it for now. Thanks to everyone taking the time to read this. :)
Monday, July 6, 2009
hmm
Not much really happened today, haha. I am beginning to realize though that I was wrong about a few things about Japan.
1. That I would lose weight while staying here. My family feeds me ice cream and brings home chocolate for me all the time, and there is a Mister Donut at thebus station. Dang it. I might actually gain weight!
2. Japanese people are very friendly. Although there isn't much talking on buses and trains as I mentioned earlier, I have had at least 3 or 4 experiences where people on my bus ride to school sitting behind or in front of me try to start a conversation. I apologetically tell them that my Japanese is very bad. I hate this, because I would like to be able to converse with some Japanese people. But learning the Japanese language in 6 weeks is beginning to feel impossible.
3. I stand out. Haha. I went to a festival the other day in Kurume, and Noemi and I were literally the only people who were not Japanese, and there were hundreds of people there! We get a lot of stares, but almost all are friendly and smiling. And little kids love us, it's adorable. They scoot closer to sit by us and my neighbors have two small children, ages 5 and 9, who come over a lot to ask if Audrey can come over to play Uno? And they've taught me some other games I've never played before. It's very cute.
4. Japan has insanely huge arcades. I went to one the other day that literally had 5 floors of nothing but arcade games.
5. Have you ever been in one of those booths where you sit with a friend or whoever and pose to have a small strip of pictures for your wallet? Well in Japan that is called purikuda, if I am spelling it right. But pirikuda is like extreme. You are in a large booth and pictures are taken of you, but you get to choose colorful backgrounds or funny scenes. And after your pictures are taken, you move over to another booth where you can personalize these already colorful photos. You can add Japanese characters or your own writing, or choose from a large selection of bows, hats, ponies, fish, ice cream cones, stars, hearts, peace signs and a million others. You can also type in your email address or cell phone number and the pictures will be sent to you! Then a couple copies of the pictures taken print out. I have done this twice so far, and they really are cool. I will probably do it quite a few more times, and I will have a wallet full of purikuda. Can't wait to show you all. :)
1. That I would lose weight while staying here. My family feeds me ice cream and brings home chocolate for me all the time, and there is a Mister Donut at thebus station. Dang it. I might actually gain weight!
2. Japanese people are very friendly. Although there isn't much talking on buses and trains as I mentioned earlier, I have had at least 3 or 4 experiences where people on my bus ride to school sitting behind or in front of me try to start a conversation. I apologetically tell them that my Japanese is very bad. I hate this, because I would like to be able to converse with some Japanese people. But learning the Japanese language in 6 weeks is beginning to feel impossible.
3. I stand out. Haha. I went to a festival the other day in Kurume, and Noemi and I were literally the only people who were not Japanese, and there were hundreds of people there! We get a lot of stares, but almost all are friendly and smiling. And little kids love us, it's adorable. They scoot closer to sit by us and my neighbors have two small children, ages 5 and 9, who come over a lot to ask if Audrey can come over to play Uno? And they've taught me some other games I've never played before. It's very cute.
4. Japan has insanely huge arcades. I went to one the other day that literally had 5 floors of nothing but arcade games.
5. Have you ever been in one of those booths where you sit with a friend or whoever and pose to have a small strip of pictures for your wallet? Well in Japan that is called purikuda, if I am spelling it right. But pirikuda is like extreme. You are in a large booth and pictures are taken of you, but you get to choose colorful backgrounds or funny scenes. And after your pictures are taken, you move over to another booth where you can personalize these already colorful photos. You can add Japanese characters or your own writing, or choose from a large selection of bows, hats, ponies, fish, ice cream cones, stars, hearts, peace signs and a million others. You can also type in your email address or cell phone number and the pictures will be sent to you! Then a couple copies of the pictures taken print out. I have done this twice so far, and they really are cool. I will probably do it quite a few more times, and I will have a wallet full of purikuda. Can't wait to show you all. :)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
great
Yesterday was a great day. My next door neighbors took Noemi and I to what I think is a Hindu temple in Kurume. As I know very little about Hinduism, my description of it will be bad and I apologize haha, but I would be happy to show anyone who wants all the pictures I took of it when I get home. :) There were a few parts to it. One just looked like what I typically see when I see a temple. The other signifigant part I can best describe by comparing it to the Statue of Liberty. It was a truly huge statue of a person holding a baby, and I went inside and climbed all the stairs to the top. The view was wonderful.
Today I went to a big festival in Kurume. It was beautiful. There were vendors selling all kinds of food, and 10 or 15 groups that performed dances. Most wore kimonos or other colorful robes or Japanese clothing. The dancing was amazing. It ranged from slow and graceful with fans to quick and intense with wooden hand held things that I cannot think of the name of, but they make a fast clicking sound. Most of the dances seemed more traditional and relating to the Japanese culture, but one group of young girls was wearing sequin outfits resembling that of a cheerleader. They were so cute, and danced to the song "Girlfriend," which was hilarious. THe coolest thing was the variety in the groups. In one group there would be a 50 year old man, a 7 year old boy, and a 20 year old girl all doing the same dance. It was probably the most of Japanese culture I've seen so far. Everyone dancing looked so happy. It made me glad too, to realize that there were enjoyable activities to be involoved in other than intense academic ones, as Japanese youth take school extremely seriously. I was very homesick at first, to be honest. But i feel a little more comfortable here everyday. Miss you all. :)
Today I went to a big festival in Kurume. It was beautiful. There were vendors selling all kinds of food, and 10 or 15 groups that performed dances. Most wore kimonos or other colorful robes or Japanese clothing. The dancing was amazing. It ranged from slow and graceful with fans to quick and intense with wooden hand held things that I cannot think of the name of, but they make a fast clicking sound. Most of the dances seemed more traditional and relating to the Japanese culture, but one group of young girls was wearing sequin outfits resembling that of a cheerleader. They were so cute, and danced to the song "Girlfriend," which was hilarious. THe coolest thing was the variety in the groups. In one group there would be a 50 year old man, a 7 year old boy, and a 20 year old girl all doing the same dance. It was probably the most of Japanese culture I've seen so far. Everyone dancing looked so happy. It made me glad too, to realize that there were enjoyable activities to be involoved in other than intense academic ones, as Japanese youth take school extremely seriously. I was very homesick at first, to be honest. But i feel a little more comfortable here everyday. Miss you all. :)
Thursday, July 2, 2009
japaaan
today i went to a huge shooping center called youme town. the ironic thing was that the best store in the whole center was an indian store. haha. so far the only thing i have bought in japan is an indian bag and an elephant necklace. i feel like i should bring home a kimono or something, but they're actually soo expensive.
but last night i had actual japanese ramen noodles, not likethe ones in the package haha, and they were amazing. we sat on tatami mats at low tables and my family laughed when i insisted on using chopsticks (because i need to learn how, the fork is becoming my crutch, haha). and it was great.
anyway, i know this does not relate to japan or my trip here, so i apologize, but the following is a message for melissa raenae, since i recently missed her 16th birthday:
dear melissa,
i love you! i am very sorry that i missed your birthday. i tried to send you something on facebook, but it would not let me log in from an "unfamiliar location." i miss you honey, very much. happy 16th birthday best friend. don't forget, when i get home you get to drive me everywhere.
oh and you better not have a new best friend when i get home, got it? for real, there will be some broken bones. well not broken bones since i actually don't have the physical capacity to break anything bigger than a twig, but something bad will happen. :)
love you, aud:)
but last night i had actual japanese ramen noodles, not likethe ones in the package haha, and they were amazing. we sat on tatami mats at low tables and my family laughed when i insisted on using chopsticks (because i need to learn how, the fork is becoming my crutch, haha). and it was great.
anyway, i know this does not relate to japan or my trip here, so i apologize, but the following is a message for melissa raenae, since i recently missed her 16th birthday:
dear melissa,
i love you! i am very sorry that i missed your birthday. i tried to send you something on facebook, but it would not let me log in from an "unfamiliar location." i miss you honey, very much. happy 16th birthday best friend. don't forget, when i get home you get to drive me everywhere.
oh and you better not have a new best friend when i get home, got it? for real, there will be some broken bones. well not broken bones since i actually don't have the physical capacity to break anything bigger than a twig, but something bad will happen. :)
love you, aud:)
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