Silver Week

I can’t write for very long this evening, even though I have SOOO much to talk about! The past five days were one big, long vacation for me! It started Friday, when I went to school,…but had no classes! (: O It’s true. They paid me for absolutely nothing that day.

By the way, I’m going to try to write all of the following without including any names…I don’t like to leave you in the dark like that, but I haven’t asked anyone but my neighbor who will be known as “Tom” (he said it was fine as long as I called him “Tom”…which is not his real name). I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.

Onward and upward then-Saturday was a very nice day. I slept in, then went phone shopping with ALT, neighbor, and friend, “Tom”, then to the Enkai party. What a lovely, awesome group of people.

Sunday was absolutely no less awesome! Again, I slept in, then went shopping with another English teacher from school! She lives in Kumamoto and so she picked me up at the train station and we went shopping at a huge-gantuan mall! We then spent a super evening talking at the chicken shop. :D

Now, new stuff: Monday, I had lunch with my new friend, “Miha!”. She works at Ozu Yakuba (town hall), and she and her husband invited me over for lunch! This lunch extended into an entire afternoon and evening of music, food, and friendship. : ) Cheesy perhaps, but true nonetheless. “Miha’s” husband fixed my computer for me (it’s lightening fast now!), and they both helped me figure out my a.c. and filled out my internet application for me, and fixed my landline telephone. Not only are they very nice, they’re very generous. It was a really great day and I feel like I know them both a lot better now. ( :D Smiley face! )

Tuesday was action packed-“Tom” and I left at 9am to meet up with the “Migamolo” family. We thought we were only going to an onsen, but NO! We had an entire day full of fun activity! First, we went put-put golfing. The golf course wound around burial mounds (???) and there was a real, live mountain goat living on one of them. The goat didn’t seem too interested in golf. Next, we drove around the Aso mountain range (Sugoi!-beautiful!) then had lunch (fried chicken, rice, pickled veggies, and miso soup. Mmm!). After that, the men and women of our party parted ways and I had my first onsen experience. An onsen is a (very) public bath…no one wears swimsuits. However, after the initial awkwardness it was quite nice! The baths use water from a hot spring so it was sort of like a hot tub. Very nice. After the we were all squeaky clean, we drove back down the mountain and to an ice cream shop where the ice cream is made by local brown cows that also produce the milk served for school lunches in Ozu. After THAT, “Tom” and I went to buy me a cell phone! It ended up being VERY expensive ($175 this month and $125 every month for a year plus 40 cents per minute. Yowzaz!), but now I have a cool cellphone with a touch panel screen and internet access. If I want to, I can pay for things WITH my cell phone (like a credit card), or I can scan barcodes or share information with other cell phones via ESP, or watch TV. It’s ridiculous! Whew-Tuesday was busy!

Today, Wednesday, was the last day of my break from school. I went to Kumamoto Castle with my host family! It was really awesome! Perhaps not was I envisioned a 17th century castle to look like-it was really elaborate and showcased incredible masonry ;). We toured both the six-story castle and the lord’s grand mansion. Both were rebuilt after a fire that burned most of the castle to the ground just before the Japanese civil war. It was really interesting to learn about some of Japan’s history. I’ve been itching for this experience. : ) After Kumamoto Castle, we went to a book store where I bought two English translations of Japanese horror/ghost stories written by a foreigner! We visited his house (ironically also in Kumamoto!) and learned a bit about his life and writings. After that, we visited a six-story department store! Florists, dresses, perfume, manga (animation), toys, groceries, you name it-it’s there. Then, on the way home we watched sumo wrestling! Ha! Very fun. The whole day was very fun! This family has been so kind-not only did they let me impose on them night and day when I arrived, but for the entire month I’ve been here they’ve done everything imaginable to welcome me and help me have a really great Japanese experience. I’ve learned a lot from them and I can’t imagine my first month here without their influence.

So that’s it! Whew, what a great vacation! I feel like I’ve been doing something every minute of every day, but no objections. I really loved seeing, tasting, touching, all that there was to take in. I’m definitely charged up and ready for school to start.