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. :)
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I love you Audrey! I am so proud of you! I know you are homesick, but keep strong and enjoy what's going on there. This experience will be over so quickly, so do your best to be in the moment and know that we are here at home waiting for you. Your new room is coming along really nicely and I think you'll enjoy being down stairs and having your own bathroom. Remember how much your Mama loves you!
ReplyDeleteHi sweet Audrey! It was sooooooo good to talk with you this morning. I posted the other comment from you Dad's computer, which is why I said, "don't forget how much your Mama loves you!" But the truth is, we all love you and miss you a ton! Take care and know how much we are thinking of you and praying for you! Love, Mom
ReplyDeletehaha i was wondering why dad was referring to himself as mama. :) love you guys and miss you soo much. thank you for everything. i'm going shopping in fukuoka tomorrow, hope to find some goo gifts for everyone! i love you, thanks for doing so much work on my room and bathroom while i'm gona, cant wait!!
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Audrey- I remember the awful feeling of homesickness that I would often experience when I was staying with my host families in Spain or in Mexico and my own family seemed so far away. You are so lucky to have such supportive parents who want the best for you in this experience. Remember how fast our tour of Spain went; we were just getting used to everything and suddenly it was time to fly home. (The trip home, of course, felt like it took FOREVER whilst my husband sipped champagne in his leather reclining airline seat which flew straignt to Kansas City, but that is another story.) In the Bible there is a verse that served as really good advice for me during my travels, so I want to share it with you now. In Mark chapter 6 (verse 10) Jesus is giving instructions to his apostles before he sends them out into his ministry. One verse reads, "Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town." I was always confused by that part, to be honest. Why would you leave before you left? But my pastor explained it to me in a way that really hit home. She said, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you should concentrate on just that one thing. Don't long for the past or worry about the future, because that takes away from the experience that you are in now. Your flight home will be upon you before you know it, so in the meantime just try to stay where you are until it is time to leave. you may never return. I know you can do this, because there was NO ONE who matched your "what's next---let's get going!" attitude when we were exhausted in Spain. :)- Mrs. Epp
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