Home

I'm sitting at my parents' kitchen counter, watching the news in English and thinking I can't believe I'm back! The 11 hour flight from Japan to Chicago was a little long, but United Airlines is nice enough to put tv's in the back of every seat so we can watch movies the whole time. I watched The Bucket list (kind of boring..) part of National Treasure 2 and parts of other ones that I can't remember because I kept dozing. Then came the waiting in line to get through customs in the US..and I was amazed at the amount of yelling and frustration on the part of the airport staff. I've decided I'm not working in any of those job because they must be stressful.

Life in Tokyo is reported to be one of the most expensive in the world, so coming home amazed me! Everything is so much cheaper! Even gas, but I'm not looking forward to filling up.

Jet lag is a bummer, but I'm doing my best to fight it by staying awake until 11 pm (virtually impossible!!)

I feel like I missed out on a lot! We got new $5. That's cool. American Idol is finished and America now has yet another Idol. Neat. Mmm...that's about it.

I leave in 3 days. That's crazy. I started packing today. That has proved nearly impossible because I just have too much stuff. I'm leaving a big stack of clothes here, and hopefully will be under the weight limit on both suitcases.

The past week was spent living in a hostel and being a complete tourist around the former capital-Kyoto. Google it if you get a chance. It's full of really really old (like from the 500's) temples and shrines and other touristy things. I quickly figured out the bus system and cruised around making friends with a lot of elderly Asian travelers. I also completely filled my memory card on my camera.

Today all I did was sleep and pack. I need to withdraw some money (because I am completely out...oops) and get some food for the next couple of days, and get a couple pictures printed as gifts..but I just couldn't leave the apartment! Haha. Tomorrow I'm meeting Yoko for church then to Harajuku and will spend the day with her. I can't believe I already have to say goodbye! Monday will be my last day at school where I have to give a speech in Japanese to the teachers (oh dear, my pronunciation is terrible!) and then the native teachers are taking Jenna and I to an Indian restaurant in Matsudo. Tuesday I'll wake up, finish packing, and head to the airport. Again, I can't believe it's over already!! The next post will most likely be from home if I remember to update this thing at all. I'm really bad about forgetting this exists.

The end is near

It has been a crazy 2 1/2 weeks! My friend Krysta came for a much needed visit, and was surprised that I had not been exaggerating when I told her my apartment was small. She enjoyed sleeping in the huge cupboard under my bed (it's not as strange as it sounds, trust me) and we figured out how to not go crazy in such a small space.

Golden week is about 3 holidays in a row (with a space in between that was declared a holiday simply by being surrounded by them--I like the way they think here.) I was invited on an overnight trip with my friend Yoko and her family to Karuizawa which was beautiful! Much like the Canadian landscape, the air was crisp and cool and the mountains (and volcano!) that surrounded the cute little town (which was actually not that little) raised my spirits and refreshed my soul tremendously! I loved spending time with Yoko and her older sister Tomoko (23), and her mother Keiko. They quickly became my Japanese family!!

I returned on Sunday evening absolutely exhausted and so thankful that Monday and Tuesday were both holidays so no school! Monday we didn't do a whole lot I don't think, but Tuesday it was an EARLY morning to meet Yoko at Disneyland! Jenna, Krysta and I left the apartments around 6:15 and met Yoko at the Disneyland train station around 7:50 am where we proceeded to spend the entire day. The park opened at 8 and Krysta and Jenna left around 5:15 but since I had never been to any sort of Disneyland before I was drinking in all the excitement and Yoko and I stayed until about 9:30. So all in all I spent over 13 hours in Tokyo Disneyland and so would have gone back the next day had I not had to return to school!

Krysta left yesterday afternoon. It was not the greatest weather as we trekked to the train station to begin the hour and 45 minute adventure to the airport, but we made it there in one piece. We got her all checked in and then of course headed to Starbucks and to Bagels and Bagels where I bought bagels for breakfast! Then I said goodbye for now to Krysta and as she waited to get on her plane I wandered aimlessly (and got a little lost) around Narita. I love airports. Just the idea of all the possible places one could travel to, and all the different people wandering around. I ate a really late lunch at Subway and then walked in circles for a bit until I found the right escalator to get back to the train station below the airport.

I got excited about traveling home soon, but realized I need to cherish these last days here. This week is essentially my last week at the school because next week the school is sending us to Kyoto which is a really old and beautiful part of Japan that everyone is so excited about when they hear we are going there. Their faces just light up! Then we will return, I"ll have a few days to pack everything up and say my goodbyes and then it's home to America!

Krysta is here! It's been great having her here, even though we have to share my tiny apartment. She's actually sleeping in the compartment under my bed..haha, it's a big compartment though!

So apparently a guy we went to high school with is stationed in Japan near Tokyo on the Airforce Base in Yokota, so we made plans to meet up with him this weekend. We met Chris and my friends Yoko and Asobu in Shinjuku and wandered around for a while. We decided to play some pool, then get some dinner. It was great!

Today, Krysta and I met Yoko and her friend Kuniko for church. We were brought to the front row by the usher and I ended up sitting next to the guest speaker. He was this awesome guy from Uganda! He started his message by leading us in a typical African worship song Malibongwe (means Amen in Zulu) and then at the end we sang a couple more songs, and he pulled Yoko, Kuniko and I as well as a few others on stage to dance with him! It was so funny. I'm definitely too white to dance, but it was fun anyway. Then the 4 of us headed to Starbucks (of course) and hung out there for a while. It was great!!

Monotony?

Wednesday: almost had to go to the doctor. My eye had something wrong with it and burned so bad I couldn't open it. I got to school to talk to the nurse who tried really hard to send me to the hospital, but I don't like doctors and I was sure it was ok..so they sent me to the drug store to get some eye wash that worked wonders. Apparently I'm severely allergic to something here...

Thursday: It rained. John took us to Shinjuku (part of Tokyo) to meet a couple of his friends and eat Mexican food. It was delicious!

Friday: It rained more. In fact, it rained so much that they canceled 6th and 7th periods. I came home and curled up in bed watching The Office. I then accidentally fell asleep and slept through a Skype date. Sorry Alyssa!

Saturday: I did absolutely nothing except watch The Office, Boston Legal, and took about 3 naps.

Sunday (today): Talked to Amy and Eric on Skype, started a return letter to a friend who values handwritten mail just as much as I do, and watched more of The Office. I made it to the supermarket as well. That was the highlight of my day.

Krysta is coming on Thursday!!!!!! Until then, my life will be boring. Just so ya know.

Ah, the missing link..

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday I was so homesick I was ready to hop a plane and head home. I have been trying to meet up with a girl who was in Nebraska for a month studying English and met some of my friends. Today we decided to meet in Ueno and go to the zoo. On my way out the door, I realized I didn't have my Tokyo train map (which is pretty much my lifeline here) so I frantically searched, and after coming up empty handed, I begged Jenna to lend me hers (which she graciously did) and I booked it to the station (about a 20 minute walk, and I had 1/2 an hour until I was supposed to meet Yoko.) On the way there, I was listening to a CD that my friend Jessica made for a road trip once and it brought me so much joy I was having a hard time from dancing the whole way there. All of the sudden a guy walked up beside me and started talking to me. Turns out he lives near the hospital here and studied English in Australia for 5 years and was so surprised to see me (pretty obviously American) in this town that he wanted to come talk to me.

I got to Ueno about 20 minutes late, and thought I was at the right exit (which of course I wasn't) so I used a pay phone to call Yoko and tell her I was trying to find her. I wandered around for a long time, and finally found a tourist help desk in another station where the lady spoke English and gave me a map and hi-lighted the way to get to the right exit. I arrived exactly one hour late, and after an exhausted but excited hello to Yoko and her boyfriend, we made our way to the zoo. As we arrived, the man was putting up the "closed" sign! It closed at 4 on Saturdays, and unfortunately, because I was an hour late, it was now 4. Lame. So we wandered around, visited a temple, then went to Starbucks (of course!). We sat there and talked about Nebraska and Yoko showed me pictures of some of my friends that she met. This made me really homesick, but excited that she got to meet them! Then we went to amereyoko (sp?) which is a really old/cheap shopping street but it was sooooooo full of people that we escaped down another street and decided to go eat my favorite Japanese food--Okanomiyaki--where Yoko's boyfriend cooked us dinner like a pro. His dad is a chef, so he learned to cook and is very good at it! It was delicious and so fun!

I still miss my friends and family back home a lot, but having friends here will make it a little more exciting. And Krysta is coming in about 2 weeks!!!! Ahh the adventures we'll have.

come to bed, insomnia awaits...

It is still raining. No joke, I almost drowned the other day when I walked outside. Ok, maybe that is a little bit of a joke. Well, more an exaggeration I suppose. Good thing I have my trusty bright pink umbrella. As if I don't stand out enough already.

I have not been sleeping well for a couple of weeks now, and to add insult to injury I am now paranoid that someone is trying to break into my apartment. I believe it may have been true when my parents cautioned me about what I watch on TV. All these detective shows have my mind convinced I'm the target of some great espionage.

9 weeks down, 7 to go. We've crossed the halfway marker folks. I am so ready for classes to start back up again. Having no purpose definitely does not suit me. Today we went into the school to help one of the new teachers get things ready for Monday and I loved sitting at her computer typing up her seating charts, laminating, double checking activities. I honestly never thought I would say that. I am not too keen on office work. But to serve a purpose just made me feel....good.

I've noticed here that a lot of people blog about one thing in particular. Photographers blog about, well, photography. Apparently there's a blog out there devoted to the amazing Ramen Shops of Japan. And after being asked several times during this trip what I want to do after graduation (who knows when that will be..) I have come to the realization that I have no..dreams, goals, or desires other than to travel and have excitement. Pretty broad, don't you think?

What does one do with an International Studies degree with emphasis in Europe and some other stuff? Aside from Grad School (are you kidding me?), not much. Maybe I should have double majored in Journalism, or Photography as well, so I could work for, say, National Geographic or the Travel Channel. Mm..broadcasting, now there's a dream. (Sarcasm is heavily intended on that last one.) Maybe anthropology or sociology perhaps? People interest me. But alas, all options lead to more schooling. I want to join the Peace Corps. Or work with the Invisible Children in Uganda. I shall quote my friend Kent when I say that I don't care about money, until money is the only thing keeping me from all these amazing opportunities. There has to be something that can be done about that. I mean, good ol' Uncle Sam might be pretty angry if I refuse to pay back my student loans.

Well, I've got a bright and early morning date with about 200 8th graders and a really cool obstacle course (unless it's raining, then we get to go to a museum..), and although I'm still mildly convinced someone is trying to break in and murder me or steal my pink umbrella, I'm praying sleep arrives soon because I won't survive tomorrow on anything less than 5 hours (which is what I'm looking at right about now..)

Oh, I'm going to Austria in July. That's exciting.