Independence Day

Today I have a lot to talk about!!! First to answer the questions of the lovely people who commented on the last post:
Mom: the salmon here is salt water salmon and for three nights in a row, it was so salty we couldnt eat it. I also have it every day with my rice. I think there was a pic of the fish in the Kamakura upload (wich is up). And tell Micheal of course I took those pictures for him!!! ^^ And also, do you know what Miles wants for a gift??
JT: My family! Okay I`ll start with Ayumi! She`s a year older then me, and a second year in highschool(junior). She goes to Aoyamagakuen in Aoyama, Tokyo. In August she goes to Switzerland for half a year. We get along great! I am thrilled to have a big sister! Last night we spent over an hour watching Nomo Neko (the cat on my wallet) dance to Numa Numa, and then watching the Hare Hare Yukai! And other things! XD We also sometimes study together, and she helps me with translating my manga. She likes manga and we both love Utada Hikaru! For the past few days we have been singing Beautiful World, which has been on the radio many times!!
Okaasan, my mother, is a kindergarten teacher at Fujimi Kindergarten. She is studying so she can move up and teach Elementry school, and so on. Shes really nice, and makes me a bento every morning! Sometimes she can be a little scary, but most of the time shes totally cool!!
Otoosan, my dad, is a company employee. I don`t really know where he works, but he leaves home first and is one of the last people home at night. He gets up really early, and when the US played Brazil in South Africa, he woke me up at 5am so we could watch the end together. He is really nice, and he, Ayumi, and I sometimes have long conversations about the most random things!
Nao is a university student, but he likes to play video games. He doesn`t really speak English, so he and I don`t talk much. Thus, I know pretty much nothing about him.
Molly: hmmmm I cant really thing of much else... verb forms? oh! and that stuff about working!!
And to bothe JT and Molly: JT, today while I was in Akihabara, I was getting ready to buy your DVD when I saw the price. It was more then 40$. Sorry, but thats a little to much! And Molly, I was going to surprise you and get you Ponyo, but it was the same. Just to much! Sorry!!
The floor is still open for questions.

And for the news!!
Yesterday the church we go to had an International Foods Banquet! There were two girls from Nevada there for a bit. They were from People to People, and only in Japan for two weeks, for which they traveled through the islands. They thought it was way cool that I was staying for two months. When we were being introduced, I was asked where I came from and when I replied Kansas they both gasped in shock and went `oh! you speak English!!` That was probably the funniest thing I`ve heard in ages! When I told my family about it at dinner, we all laughed! Other then that, I sat with a VERY nice woman who speaks English and helped my translate things. The foods where from Brazil, Peru, and Korea. And I love Avacodo juice!!
Today Ayumi and I went to Akihabara, Otaku capital of the world!!! XD It was. . . interesting. There were a couple girls in Loli, and when one walked past, I told Ayumi ``Kawaii!!!`` and the girl turned and smiled at me! So much better then telling me to go away like the girls in Harajuku. I`m still mad about that.....
So we were in Akihabara to buy Ayumi a converter for Suisse(Switzerland), but she ended up not getting one. Then for lunch. . . oh god ... I let Ayu talk me into going to a Maid Cafe. It was one of those once in a life time, live the second, type moments. So. . . There were all these girls dressed in maid outfits from various cafes on the street, and when you wanted to go to one, you just ask the maid, and she takes you to her cafe! Where you are then greeted by all the ladies who work there, and everything is extremely cute! I was laughing most of the time at how weird/cool this was. There is a pic we got on my photobucket! Pictures werent allowed accept for ones that they took, and pics of the food. Ayumi`s dish is the one in the pic. I just got spagehtti.
While we were there, the Hare Hare Yukai started to play... Ayu and I started laughing. Then (what I find amazing is that I was really wanting to listen to this song the night before) Carameldansen!!! I thought of you and Haley, JT. So of course I had to sing along!!
So! Then we rushed to another part of Tokyo (I can`t remember the name, but its where the Supreme Court for Japan is) and met Okaasan for Kabuki!!!!!!!!! There were other YFU people there, but I didn`t get a chance to talk to them.
Kabuki is AMAZING! If you every get a chance, watch it. There were little tapes you could listen to that explained it for forgeiners (and some from Japanese people too!!)! In the beginning they had a little demo and we were allowed to take pictures! Otherwise no pictures.
The play portion was about Goro, and man sworn to avenge the death of his father, and is part of a series of plays about Goro and his older broth Juro and their vendetta! In this play, he in wishing for luck in the new year, and has a dream about Juro being kidnapped by the Shogun who killed their father. It ends with him running off to save Juro.
After that was the Whisteria Maiden`s Dance. In Kabuki, all actors are male. But you could hardly tell. The dance was beautiful and so were the contumes! I loved the shamisen music, and Okaasan said that when we go to Obaasan`s house next week, she will play the shamisen for me!!!
Then we stared heading back home. On the train, Ayumi and I talked about things that are popular in the US and in Japan. There was a poster for a new drama coming out about vampires, and for awhile I thought it was Twilight, but she said no. Also, Twilight it NOT big in Japan. She said some of her friends went to see the movie (which just came to theatres) and liked it, but that she hadn`t.
At the trainstation in... somewehre... we ate at a cute little shop. I had a green tea icecream, with anko, mandarin oranges, and some other stuff. OMG I haven`t talked about Anko yet!!! Holy crap! Anko is my favourite sweet right now!!! It sooooooooooo yummy, I`m going to die without it when I get back home!! Anko is red bean paste. JT If you remember back to AFW when we ate at the Chinese restuarant, the little peach buns that no one liked? Yeah, they were filled with anko. I am in love with Dorayaki, which is like two pancakes with anko between! so yummmy!!
So, when we finally got back to Ageo, it was dark, and we had to ride our bikes home. I kept thinking, man, Dad would kill me! I found out that my bike actually does have a light, but its pretty crapy if you ask me! But it was fun trying weave around traffic in the dark!! XD
And as a little side note, I`ll admit that since the second day in Japan, I have been feeling terribly homesick. I`d been edgy, and counting down the days til I could come home and talk with people and be in a place I was used to. Slowly things started to get better, but I think today it finally wore off. On the train ride home I was thinking to myself, I`m in Japan. And I guess that`s when it really hit me. RIding my bike home, I couldn`t help but feel relaxed, knowing that I was totally comfortable with my new life.
In the short few weeks I have been here, I have come to realize a lot. Japan is alot like America, and, I`m sure, most other countries in the world. The people here are people, just like you would find in the US. They have normal lives, where they work, go to school, and study. They have daily schedules, just like we do in the US. And I think for awhile that bothered me. But today I came to realize that that`s life. That no matter where you are, things will be the same. There are, of course, differences, and that`s what makes it all the better.
While I have been here, I have come to have a better respect for America as well. I no longer feel that I have to get out of there as soon as I can, I know that no matter where I go, as long as I have friends, and a rutine, I can enjoy myself and live my life.
Truth is I really miss you guys, but life here is so great! I don`t want to leave in however many weeks I have left!!
By the way, Happy Independence Day!!

Church and Tea

First things first: I`m working on the pic thing! sorry about that!!
Second, to JT: I tried looking for the shirt, but again, the looks we were getting were aweful. And as for my grammer, you try typing on a Japanese computer. . . its so hard!!!
Miles I`ll ask Ayumi to teach me.
And again, Mrs. Emily, how can I get water? And I messed up. It`s mugicha. Good, but not water. In fact today I resorted to drinking some when I washed my hands.

So today! First, we got up and went to church! It was about a thirty minute walk for Ayumi and I, because I didn:t have a bike yet. Curch itself was VERY confusing. . . very very. . .all in Japanese. . . So hard... We did sing Amazing Grace though, and some of the slower psalms, I could sing along reading the hiragana. I`m pretty amazing at it now.
At the end of the sermon, I was asked to come up and introduce myself. That was scary.
Afterwards I met a lot of people. Some spoke a little English, most spoke none. The Pastor and his wife lived in America for two years, and one woman, who was exceedingly nice, had lived in America for 6 years. It was the first time in a long time I could speak English like I usually do.
We then cleaned the church and kindergarten classrooms. The Kindergarten where okaasan works in connected to the church. After that we ate lunch, AND there was a water fountain type thing. So I got water. A lot of water. And my first Japanese onigiri! Salmon filling, my favourite! So yummy! and some more American styled food. Ayumi also left to go meet some friends in Tokyo.

Afterwards I got my bike. From what my okaasan and otoosan said, it belonged to an old man who could no longer ride it, so he was lending it to me. And let me say, Japanese bikes are amazing. It took me awhile to get the hang of kicking off, but after a few tries, its all good. Japanese bikes are hard to explain, but they are the old kind with baskets and you sit up straight when you ride one. I`ll get a picture later.

So, okaasan, otoosan, and I then went on an adventure. We rode our bikes to a tea shop. A friend of okaasan`s worked at the shop, and we were given real green tea and green tea ice cream. Both of which where delicious. Then her friend gave be a cute little jar with some green tea leaves in it, so I can make my own tea when I get home!! I found it ironic that the store had a classical Japanese version of Amazing Grace playing. It was so serene, I don`t think I will ever forget my trip to the tea shop!
Then we proceeded to a supermarket, not the one Ayumi and I went to the day before. There we bought supplies for tonights nights dinner: SUSHI! YES! So, we shopped and left, I got to put a bag in my bike-basket, and we went home.

And, today I decided whould be a good day for gifts, so I wrapped all of them once we got home. It took awhile, but they are all wrapped now and when Ayumi gets home I will give them to everyone.

I`m uploading more pictures; password is off, and purikura pics are being posted!!!

http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n157/MinaBlack/

OMG! I totally forgot to mention! In July YFU has invited me to a Tea Ceramony and a Kabuki production. I can`t wait!!