Nothing really new

As the title says there is nothing horribly new to report. Except I have some pictures of, uh, life in Japan.

1) Obento (lunch box): It looks pretty small! actually, it is indeed very small especially when compared to the average American lunch. In American, I normally have a sub, chips, chocolate milk fruit and a cookie (of course). But in Japan the sub alone fills up my obento! The bottom half of the obento is all white rice with furikake (seasoning?) My favorite furikake flavor is black sesame seeds. The upper portion is vegetables meat eggs and whatnot. I'll take a picture when I have it next time (right now is vacation so I eat at home). It has matching chopsticks too!
And just in case people think I'm starving with my tiny lunch that's really not the case. Its just enough to where you feel full but not exploding. Like, NORMAL full. But the thing is you only really feel full about 15min after finishing. During that 15min it's "WHY IS THIS THING SO SMALL?!" but afterwards it's all good.
and yes I have lost weight I think considering my pants don't fit.

2) Desk: It's more like a kid's size table and a pillow. Sitting on my bed, the desk is still too low to work comfortably so it's zabuton or nothing (pillow). The only problem is my knees hurt if I sit there for too long no matter HOW I sit (oh well, guess that means I can't studyyyyy)

3) Book shelf: ...It's a book shelf. There's nothing really special about it but it's divided into fun books, textbooks and dictionaries, Japanese money box, American money box and things I don't know where to put like letters and such.

4)Closet: ...nothing new about that

5) Bed: It's a lot shorter (like everything else) but overall pretty comfy. It's a lot more fluffy than my American bed but I still prefer my American one.

That's all for now!

TACOS

SO!
Saturday I went to Kyoto with Ellie (another exchange student from Canada). it rained. a lot. but it was still pretty fun! Because of the rain we really didn't get to see much. not to mention that it was pretty last min and had no real plan. But it's only a train ride away so it's not like I'll never go back!
We went to two of the huge temples in Kyoto (I forget the names...) and a bunch of little shops by the station.
Also found an imports store!!! And that means Mac and Cheese, Peanut butter and Tacos! (not all together in an odd peanuty-cheesey taco of course but each in their own separate beauty.)
On Sunday we went to the ocean (about an hour and a half away by car) to dig for clams and shell fish and such..except after the hour and a half drive we find a nice sign saying digging for shellfish is prohibited. yay.
but there was a huge festival going on so we went to that instead. Unfortunately I was dressed for shellfish and not festivals...so I got to walk around in my P.E. clothes all day with the name "nakajima" embroidered on the jacket. (I don't know who Nakajima is but thanks for letting the exchange students use your stuff)
Japan's festivals are for sure better than ours. I think our food can compete but the entertainment and stalls are far more interesting in Japan. There was also a parade? I think it was a parade. There were dressed up cars with several people on the roof playing music and..uh..shouting instructions(?) to the dancers following behind. It was really cool. Not to mention that people of ALL AGES were behind the different cars. from the college students to 3 year olds to 90 year olds in their funny pants (not grandma pants but more like circus pants)
AFTERWARDS WE GOT YAKINIKU
amazing stuff
OK so-- you have a table..except its set into the floor kind of...
you sit on the floor and your legs go underneath the table sort of. there is a circular grill in the middle of the table too. The place we went has a deal where you pay about 30$ and for 90min you get as much food as you can eat. AWESOME
there was rice (of course) daikon salad, normal salad, kimchee, bibimbap, soup, and of course plates of beautifully sliced marbleized meat that you take and grill yourselves on the grill. and then you dip it into either lemon juice, a sweet sauce, or a soy sauce based sauce. it was MAGICAL. I walked all the way home happy and full and smiling all the way it was so beautiful.
Monday was "Sports health day?" so I had the day off and so did host-padre (because hes a teacher) We had tacos for lunch!! It's really weird to watch Mikihiro eat though (he's 3)
I've seen him eat things like fermented soy beans on rice, and seaweed and things that i KNOW American kids would refuse right away. But he won't touch tacos or wild rice soup or ANYTHING. (and yes, I did make the wild rice soup the right way so its not my fault)
WHO DOSN'T LOVE TACOS?! I MEAN REALLY!!! He didn't even try it!!! Nagomi (the one year old) tried and liked tacos!

Anyways, I'm getting a cell phone the day after tomorrow!

Pictures are from Kyoto, the Mexican aisle in the imports store, festival pictures and a picture of a very very slow man standing at the wrong end of the energetic horse

sorry this took so long.

I forget what I still need to write about. gah.
Oh! well, for starters, I have found a very VERY useful thing to do. If a small child ever follows you up the dark stairs (which, if dark, is unlikely) all you need to do to get some alone time is hide in a dark corner and "disappear". WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS BEFORE?! Mikihiro was seriously a foot away from me and didn't know it, eventually he got confused and made his way back downstairs. AWESOME.

Japanese schools test A LOT. I mean A LOT. It's test after test after test. They don't do projects. They don't really have homework from what I can see. Not like we have in America where there is sure to be homework everyday. Also my classes are really REALLY...limited? In American I have (will have) English, math, environmental science, music, art, government, econ, Chinese etc. Here, I have English, English b, English writing, oral communication (English) world history, health, gym, Japanese (as a second language) modern Japanese, classical Japanese, and home EC. It's basically English with a hint of liberal arts.
overall, very limited. This has made me realize that I'm more suited to a broad education.

Over the weekend a whooollleee bunch of Mikihiro's friends came over and we harvested the sweet potatoes in the garden next to the house. They were HUGE. and purple. and yellow inside.
over the past week we've had sweet potatoes in nearly everything hahah

Also! I will be leaving for su zhou November 11th! yay!!!!

Kyoto this weekend! as long as it doesn't rain that it.
I've run out of things to talk about
NO WAIT!
tacos.
but then again I could always talk about tacos.
I swear tacos were in every single one of my conversations today.
I was talking about tacos with one of the American teachers and I told him I will without a doubt open a Chipotle chain here. As soon as I mentioned Chipotle a look of intense pain came over his face and he told me not to talk about it. There was also a look of sincere longing.
I don't know how long he has been in Japan or rather away from a local Chipotle but I'm sure that it has been a long LONG time since the beauty that is a Chipotle burrito has visited his lips.
I will some how find a way to get Chipotle to this poor poor man.

I've been reading the harry potter books as an English escape but now I find I've made the mistake of getting addicted and my school library only has them up to the 4th book. SIGH

P.S. taco seasoning fits nicely into care packages.
HINT

pictures are of the sweet potato harvest party and Genki and Hayato. Genki seems to be the target of sticky things and pranks. example: the guys were straightening their hair at school (yes. i don't know why either) and everyone thought it would be fun to make random sections of Genki's hair and make it flip upward. I don't know why he trusts them..

Pancakes and cars

So, I guess first of all it all started with a headache. Because of this headache I didn't go to Kyudo club the other day and instead decided to treat myself to a snack at the convenience store on the way home. I'm not completely familiar with the roads yet, but I knew I was on a street that would eventually take me to a conbini...seeing as they're EVERYWHERE. At this time a few things happened. I saw a car flipped over, I was riding my bike through a group of kids on the sidewalk, and I hear someone say "Kurisuchin" or the small Japanese child version of Kristine. So I slammed on the breaks and turned around and there was Mikihiro sitting at the scene with a bunch of little kids and no Mom in sight.

Whhaaaat????

I was confused.

I think Host Mom had gone to buy groceries and Mikihiro was playing with kids across the street when they heard the crash and came to see. Turns out that I was one street over from my house hah.

So that was interesting. Also, when trying to direct traffic (because it was closed to one lane) there was almost ANOTHER accident because the police men decided to direct their sides at the same time. genius.

Anyways, just another random thing I've noticed about Japan. They LOVE pancakes. I mean, I thought I loved pancakes but I've never seen this kind of affection for pancakes or hotcakes as they call them (hotto-keki). I've seen pancake recipe books and magazines. Ive seen pancake flavored candy, chocolate and cereal. I've seen pancake cellphone key chains and folders and pen cases and what not. It's INSANE. But I'm really not complaining. the pancake chocolate is super good. It's like a cookie covered in a buttery pancakey chocolate and a layer of actual syrup inside. AWESOME. weird. but AWESOME.

That's all I can really think to post right now. I'm working on a video for international club and also Mikihiro's sports day, so I'll post that eventually.

Just realized a month has passed

I was thinking of a title for this post and looked down at the date on my computer...9/26/210...when did i get here again?? i left on the 18th...go to narita on the 20th...so, that's about a week and a month! Weird.
Anyways yesterday wasn't exactly the time of my life. I woke up early to go to Mikihiro's Sports Day which was interesting but very long! from 9:30am until 2pm I think. Sports festivals and culture festivals are held all through school I think. But for kindergartners, they just dance and play games where no one really wins. I also got a nice sunburn. We went out for dinner to coco curry...my least favorite part of Japan actually. You would think that I would love a place devoted to curry! but Their curry is just spiced gravy with frozen veggies and meat...
not to mention the waiter gave me the english version of the menu which (although nice) was incredibly frustrating. I can't even explain why I was near tears because he gave me an english menu. Maybe because I'm treated like a foreigner (I know I am one) and not a part of the family. Maybe because I'm treated like I'm 2 where people ask my parents questions like "and what does she want to drink?" I'm right here! ask me! It gives the whole feeling of isolation. In America, its basically learn english or starve. Not everyone knows another language. everyone gets the same menu, same treatment, same same same.

i didn't even need that stupid menu. I can look at the pictures and read the hiragana and some kanji JUST FINE thank you.

gahhhh

anyways. I was so tired from the sunburn and the long day and the people I think I went to bed without saying a word (I apologized for that this morning though)

Today, Mikihiro was in and out of tantrums for the majority of the day. The was Japanese parents deal with children is very different from how American parents deal with children. The most punishment I've seen Mikihiro have is being set outside and the doors locked. And he just sits out there crying until he goes through the front door back inside. No spanking, no (real) timeout, no taking away things nothing.
I can sometimes feel myself resisting giving him a spanking myself! hahah especially when he cryyelling "okaasan! okaasan! hayaku hayaku okaasan!!" or mom! mom! hurry up! hurry! mom! "hayaku" is really pretty rude too. Also when we were going out shopping and Mikihiro wanted to watch Howl's Moving Castle and lapsed into another tantrum Okaasan just left him home while the rest of up went shopping.
Some how I think the Japanese way of punishment is more like the American way of rewards. I can just imagine George saying "Throw me outside? fine! see ya!" and I wasn't allowed to stay home alone until I was...i forget...uh...older!!

But still, I don't want anyone to judge like "The Japanese are just too soft with their kids!". Its a different culture. Period.

Anyways, I'm making wild rice soup for dinner tonight! I have to substitute the flour for corn starch so I hope it turns out alright (Mikihiro is allergic to eggs and wheat)

*Picture: Pictures from the sports festival and my Chinese HW I finally got around to doing

Vacation!

This week is a three day week!!!!!
why you ask?
Because monday was "respect for the aged" day and tomorrow is the atumnal equinox! Go random days off!
So, Today was pretty much normal except during lunch. Me and three of my friends were going to the cafeteria when one of them said their shoulder hurts. Alright, infirmery?
nope. lets throw salt on it...

uh

ok?

really REALLY confused.

Aparently it's a part of Japanese culture. When a ghost/evil thing is bothering you or hurting you, you throw salt to purify it.

I actually semi knew this, but I didn't know it was put into practice by the teenage generation. That caught me off gaurd a little. Not to mention no one else really stared or questioned them when they came outside with a salt shaker.

After that my friend (the one throwing the salt) asked what my biggest surprise was in Japan. I figured it best not to answer that one...seeing as that WAS my biggest surprise so far. hahaha

And just so everyone knows, just in case my posts are looking a little down, I'm fine, really. It's not all sunshine and rainbows and unicorns offering rides into the sun set, but its a combo of frustration, tiredness, confusion, intrest and fun.
so far.

creepy creepy tanukis

SO!
I haven't really updated since Friday I think but here's what's been goin' on:
Sat: Orientation with 3 other AFSers
Sun: Biwa lake Museum
Mon: *Day off school* Went to look at Japanese yakimono (clay dishes and cups and stuff) and a Tanuki army.

Sat:
Was the orientation with the three other AFS people in Shiga-ken. It was pretty fun but it took ALL DAY! I left the house at 1:30 and got back at 10 or so. And we really just went over the rules again and talked about Japan life so far. Apparently I'm the one with the least amount of problems! (yay!!!) All they talked to me about was making sure I'm over my cold and stay off the Internet (they say once a week is best...but really...the average American AND Japanese teen spends a bit more time online than that) and I'm only really on for 30min to look at facebook and my blog. but alright, I can try less time. As far as the other students goes: one of them is changing families, another wants to change families (the family abuses their cat apparently and it makes him really uncomfortable..) and the other student loves her host family but can't eat or sleep well with the weather this hot, and shes using the AC too much (which is expensive) (shes from freezing canada)
Other than the issues I've decided to ask about swimming since soccer probably wont work out. It was fun just talking in Japanglish to students and the adults (most of them are English teachers) and one person who is from New Zealand and went to Belgium and is not living in Japan.

Sun: Went to Biwa Lake Museum. Pretty much a museum aquarium combo. It was pretty interesting (except I couldn't read anything, that's a bit of a problem). I think Trivium was playing a concert next door too...
It was really just your average aquarium though
Monday: Went to see yakimono and tanukis...I don't like tanukis (its a "dog-raccoon")
They're just plain creepy. And there was an entire ARMY of them. Apparently its a really famous sculpture in Japan. I don't know much more than that though. If you stare at them long enough they start to look like their breathing...
Not kidding.
We also went to...I guess a modern sculpture..park? of lunch. Walked around there for a while.
Also visited one of Japan's old capitals. There was nothing left except a small shrine though. It was only the capital for 3 years and then it burned to the ground because of an earthquake. Oh well?