009

Two weeks since my last post... sorry! I've just felt so busy and tired that I haven't wanted or haven't had an opportunity to sit down and update this. I've been doing my best to keep a written diary too, and my Japanese tutor also asked me to start keeping a diary in Japanese to help me learn. So I'll flick through those as I go and point out some of the more interesting things I've been up to since my last update :)

I'm getting into the routine of school now, although I'm being put in the library instead of going to classes like Maths, Science, Japanese, even Home Ec... I only attend English, OC (Oral Communication - like a more fun version of English), Calligraphy and P.E (which is cross-country skiing - awesome, I know!). I've asked to be put in with all of the classes, because I'm not progressing at all by sitting alone in the library with the occasional English teacher coming to talk to me (in English, which doesn't teach me how to talk here). I also recently got my uniform, yay.

Anyway, the other students have pretty much accepted me; all the girls seem to love me, but the boys are pretty shy I think. A few have said hello, or nodded quietly, but there is one boy named Shuto who is a bit of a bugger lol. I had to do an introductory speech infront of the whole year at assembly, and afterwards as everyone was filing out, he walked past, said hello, shook my hand, then blew me a kiss over his shoulder as he left. Later that day after P.E, he kept calling out "Laura! Texas Burger! This Is IT!" (meaning Texas Burger; the current popular McDonald's burger in Japan, and This Is It; the Michael Jackson movie) I just smile and shake my head and wave enthusiastically at him.

I had an official welcoming party for me at the Eniwa Rotary Club headquarters which was really good, all the Rotarians and my host families were there, but it turned out I had to do a speech which I hadn't written. So I got called up and said a line or two, but then I just couldn't translate into Japanese what I wanted to say. So I stressed out a bit, and my host sister helped, but yeah. Made a bit of a fool of myself and shed a few tears but everyone clapped for me and it was all fine in the end. And we played bingo and I won a 6-pack of Sapporo Beer (which is now sitting in the corner of the loungeroom because I'm not allowed to drink it here lol).

The Sapporo Snow Festival has been and gone, and although I was only able to see it briefly, it was pretty good. It snowed a fair bit and my host parents sort of rushed past everything, so I didn't get to see everything, but I got a couple of photos and saw the main things so.. it's okay I think. We also went to Otaru, which is on the coast; I loved it. We went at night, so there were all these fairy lights and music and snow and it was just beautiful.

I finally got to experience Karaoke for the first time with my two host sisters, Ai and Mai. It was so awesome!! I love it. And the Japanese are actually really good singers, I haven't heard any Japanese person sing out-of-tune yet. I went to Karaoke again the other night with some people, including a girl named Tessa who was the Exchange Student here last, also from Australia. She'd come back for a visit with her boyfriend. So we, along with my future host brother Atsuo and a bunch of his friends, went to the same Karaoke place and sang our hearts out. Karaoke is so good.

and don't let the wall mislead you; the flash ruins it, but it's actually lime green fluroescent paint :DSo anyway. I also did things like meet the Mayor of Eniwa (complete with about half a dozen reporters taking photos and jotting down notes and asking me questions), went to Chitose and saw the Hyotou Ice Festival which was beautiful - I personally liked it more than the snow festival - and I joined the Calligraphy Club at school (although this means I don't leave school til 4:30-5pm when it's on). I also had a Soba cooking class at the pre-school across the road which was good fun, although I missed out on the pumpkin tempura (my favourite) because we had to wait in line to cook the soba :(

^^^ this last photo is taken at my 4th host families house. from L > R; Tessa, Atsuro, the two girls I don't know the names of but they're friends of Atsuro's little sister Chi-chi who is behind me. Then there's 'Kevin' who is actually Korean and lives in Australia and is here with Atsuro (they both study in Brisbane), and another of Chi-chi's friends.

I got a keitai!! (mobile phone) - it is epic awesome. it was apparently a cheaper option, but I am very happy with it. Unlimited internet! so I won't be completely cut off from the world during my next host family (they don't have the net).


apologies for crappy badly lit gross-looking-me webcam photos. But basically it can twist and flip and has a Google button and touchscreen and TV and full internet browser and 5.1MP camera and all sorts of awesome things. <3

I also went to the onsen for the first time, in Yuni which is about an hours drive away. It was pretty daunting to, you know, walk naked into a room of about 50-100 women and go for a bath. Hm. But I went with Tessa and Chi-chi, so it wasn't too bad, although I don't think I'll go again. Though, sitting outside in the middle of the snow, in a hot rockpool, with snow falling on your head is pretty unreal. I mean, if I were there alone it would've been perfect, but with all the other women... not as nice :( but at least I can say I've done it!

So that's basically what I've done since last blog. Today I had another Rotary meeting and Japanese lesson, and tomorrow's my last day of school before I go to OKINAWA! Wooooooo I'm excited. Faaar away, and home to the BIGGEST AQUARIUM IN THE WORLD. yay :) So i'll update after that more than likely.

And I apologise if I make any errors in English; I've only been here for 3 weeks and I can already feel my English sort of slipping! For more photos, please look on my Facebook :) Already 300+...