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:)
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Dear Audrey,
ReplyDeleteYeah! I am so glad you bought a kimono, and I am sure you did not get a cheesy one. Even if you did, no one here will know it is cheesy! We will just think you have a great Japanese kimono.
I just finished my annual Gilmore Girls marathon last month. I did not know you were a fan. I have all the seasons on dvd and have to watch them all at least once a year to get my Gilmore Girls "fix", like I have to read Gone With the Wind every summer to get my Scarlett O'Hara "fix". Of course, my husband has zero tolerance for either, so that is how I spend
my time while he is at work :)
I have also been spending lazy days in the pool with my sister and her grandchildren this summer as well. Although Jared has only been married a month, I am ready for some grandbabies! Unfortunately, it will be a few years because he still has 3 years of medical school and heaven only knows how many years of residency.
Keep those blogs coming! I am loving every one of them--and learning so much! Thanks :)
Aud.
ReplyDeleteyou make me proud. can i apply chopsticks to your hair when you wear your afreakingdorable kimono? (there IS a comb in your bathroom now, it needs usage.)
How was watching sumo wrestling???? I hope Shun will like Gilmore Girls and Law and Order: SVU. If he likes Criminal Intent..... well, then i hope you took notes during the sumo wrestling.
(...just kidding) :)
In our Mrs. Donut, we should have a rotating belt to serve our food. The people that we don't like will get an orange plate. haha..ha.
Miss you i do. Love you i do more.
P.S. You're kawaii, kawaii. :)
Dear Audrey,
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised to learn that you found a wonderful deal shopping for a kimono! You have a special talent, I think. I can't wait to see it. Perhaps you can wear it when you give a presentation to my class? I love reading your blogs every few days, as your descriptions are wonderful and convey your excitement to learn about the Japanese culture and language! I wish I could jump on a plane to visit, but reading the blogs is a good (and realistic) substitute. Tomorrow I will spend all day at an inservice meeting preparing for the coming school year IN OUR BRAND NEW SCHOOL! (In case anyone can't tell, I am really excited!) You will be amazed to see the progress the construction crews have made while you were gone. I can't wait to see the students' faces on the first day of class... :)
Mrs. Engles, you like Gilmore Girls?? You are my hero! Haha Melissa and I watch that show obsessively. Hopefully Jared will hurry up with school so you can have those grandchildren soon. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd would you believe that I only brought 5 books here and I finished them in the first week? I spend two hours on a bus every weekday to go to school, so I have had lots of reading time.
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Melissa, even when I am on another continent, you still make me laugh. I think that with the amount that I have been eating here (dang Mister Donut), I will be fit to be a great sumo wrestler when I get home. We will never let Shun see Criminal Intent, only SVU, so he will never even get the chance to like something so boring. :) And you can totally use a comb and some chopsticks to do my hair when I wear my kimono. I trust you. :) I can't wait for our Mrs. Donut. I feel bad for the people that we don't like, they wont even know what has hit them once they get that orange plate.
Mrs. Epp:
I would love to give a presentation to your class in my kimono. :) I hope someone in Sedalia can figure out how to tie the obi (the big band with a bow in the back) on that thing, because it is complicated! I cannot wait to see the school! I think next year will be a great year.
Dear Audrey--my star reading student who used to consume a book a day--the only reason I believe you had a mere 5 books with you is because I believe you must have had space and weight constraints! I cannot imagine you without a book, so I hope there are lots of books in English available to you. I feel like I am seeing you grow with each Japanese word you include in your blogs. It is very interesting to learn those new words with you. Except you will have to provide the pronunciations when you get home, as I am sure I am butchering every syllable of every word :)
ReplyDeleteRe Gilmore Girls: I love the small town atmosphere, all the quirky characters and especially love the sharp wit and the special relationship between Lorelai and Rory. I watched one episode and was hooked. I just wish I had written that first script. I surely would be a go-zillion-aire by now!