so if you have a facebook, you know i went strawberry picking last week. mandy and i had a fantastic time with akemi! she was such a great host! we met at the station in handa, then went to a little farm just outside the city. strawberries were planted in a greenhouse in double decker rows. it was all very neatly organized. also the raised flowerbeds meant that i didnt have to bend down to pick any strawberries... nope! they were all there perfectly positioned for me to eat them. all of them. for like 2 hours. i might have strawberried myself out a bit... but we got these little plastic containers and condensed milk/chocolate sauce to dip them in... and im not gonna lie, it was a little slice of heaven. ^_^
that day i got a call from jennifer and she hopped on a train and came to nagoya to spend the night with me! it was sooooo great seeing her again! i missed her soooo much! i havent seen her since she popped in at my dads funeral to give me flowers and a hug. that was easily one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. i am in awe sometimes of the kindness of my friends. i often have no clue how i survive without them... unfortunately, it seems as though her job really really sucks... which is horrible, but it also means that i might gain a roommate. ^_^ shes supposed to quit this week and come stay with me! yay! its gonna be sooo exciting! ^_^ thats jennifer below. ^_^
i also got my first private student! he is really cool and our plan is to meet every other week for 1.5 hours. i am really looking forward to some conversation and cultural learning. we met last sunday and the interview was a bit intimidating. you can tell he is a well educated man with a lot of life/work experience. he is very smart and asked me a lot of very direct questions. he said he chose me for my education... wow! my education actually means something!
that night we met some of the new teachers to celebrate a birthday. we went to a small restaurant across from my building. the owner was sooo nice! seriously guys, ive never had such freaking amazing hospitality as i have had in japan. if youre nice, try hard, and play by the rules, life is so easy going. of course those things arent always easy... some of the rules are *interesting* but nonetheless, i have met some really really nice people here and have had some unmatched life experiences.
after dinner we went to karaoke! its the first time ive actually gone since ive been in japan. omg... first, it was funny cause we sang only english songs. second, we had two australians... and they sang all the stereotypical australian songs... like men at work. it was fantastic! lol!
last week i also went into a used clothing store and found this really old, really awesome english grammar book from about 1905! it was 2000Y (about $20) but i had to get it. it has two dedications in it! one from about 1915 and one from about 1958! its sooooo cool! this little book is all mine now...
while i was there, i met this guy. we have a lunch date on tuesday... lol. hrm... i really dont understand japanese guys though... they are a complete and utter mystery to me. i have a really hard time playing any sort of game and dating for me... is such a pain. this is why i am single. i want a relationship but i really dont want to have to go out and date anyone. what happened to the good old days of high school when a guy says he likes you and then done!? yea. i need more of that. OH! and one more thing. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND GUY JAPANESE TO SAVE MY LIFE! ive been hanging around too many girls... and really guys use different slang... and slur their words differently... its like a whole different language. WTF?! i feel like im on the short bus every time i talk to a guy. i have to ask them to slow down and speak clearly... ugh. it adds a layer of complexity my feeble little mind continues to struggle with...
on sunday i went to dinner with my friend. shes moving to santa barbara next month... im sooo excited for her. shes the sweetest girl... and has such potential. shes also sooo pretty... and really innocent... i have a feeling the guys are going to be all over her. thankfully, shes got a fairly good head on her shoulders and i think she will be ok. dinner was fun though. we went to a bookstore and i helped her pick out a book that she would be able to read in english. ^_^
also, i ran into a friend on my day off tuesday! it was quite serendipitous! she was coming out of a cooking class nearby and also had the day off... so she took me to her cooking school and i got a brochure! i am going to start cooking classes in may! once a month... on tuesday morning. its going to be sooo much fun! i have always wanted to take a cooking class... and theres no better place to do it than japan! we also went by a jewelry making school... we are going to take a short 3 hour class on the 27th.. im going to learn to make a new type of necklace! im sure there will be pics to follow!
i love school.... i love learning.... if only i had more money and more free time... i go to school forever... and ever... and ever...
finally, i am really stoked about this weekend! mandy and i are going to see a live show! its going to be fantastic! i have all my rocker chick clothes ready! Nagoya Mag. has all the info for the show online! and its in english! lol. im soooo excited...
ive been slowly plugging away at the japanese.... studying it more and more now. sooo... much... work.... uuuugh....
anyway... i guess this blog ended up longer than i had intended... but i think they always do... lol.
"be excellent to each other"
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