I am a little behind on some of the things I wanted to write, but today is Sunday, so I will hopefully have some time to catch up. This blog is a mixture of a journal for me, and a way to let everyone else know what I`m up to, so there are probably a lot of things that other people won`t really care about. That`s OK. You`re not obligated to read everything.
Anyways, this morning I was thinking how much I love living in Japan, and I thought I would write some of the things I like. Some are Japan - specific, and some are things that I also liked in the United States.
The sound and smell of rain. I love to listen to rain falling outside. The rain here is a lot heavier than in Utah, so the sound of rain is also louder. Yay! I love to listen to the rain beating on the roof, or the quieter sounds of raindrops dripping off the roof. I`m lucky that I get to be here during the whole rainy season! The rain is also warmer here. It is not the sort of cold miserable winter Utah rain that just makes me grumpy. The smell of the rain is also good. It doesn`t smell quite like the rain at my house - a mixture of wood, asphalt, grass, and wet cement smells. I can`t place the smells yet, but it smells amazing. After it rains it is still humid (like always), but it somehow feels more fresh.
I love the weather. The weather is perfect. I love love the humidity, I love the warm weather, and I love that I am teaching when it is really hot, so I just get to enjoy the best parts of the day.
I love being close to the train station, and not just because it is convenient. I like to listen to the trains passing by on the overhead pass right next to my house. I also like hearing the slightly muffled announcements from the nearby station. I really wish we had more trains in America.
I love the food. My host mother has asked me once or twice what my favorite dishes have been. I can never answer because they are all so good. I`m even used to the breakfasts now - eggs, some kind of meat (usually fish or ham), salad (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions), and mushrooms. I thought it was weird to have salad for breakfast at first, but now I like it. Salad is a good breakfast food.
I love to do things with the other interns. I speak Japanese almost all of the time, so it is kind of nice to see James and Taylor once or twice a week and be able to speak English. Starting next week I get to go out and see different places with them. Next Saturday is Kyoto. I am so excited! When I am with James and Taylor I almost feel like I am with some of my high school friends - which is great since it usually takes me a long time to feel comfortable around people. Yesterday we went shopping at a mall together, and then spent the rest of the afternoon doing various things. It was so much fun! This first week has been so busy that I haven`t really had time to do fun stuff. It is great to do something fun with the interns and try new foods - like the collon snacks. Haha.
`Hey, do you guys want to try some of my colon?`
`sure!`
Followed by laughter and jokes for five or ten minutes. It`s great.
I love that things I liked in the United States are actually popular here. It is a little weird to realize that I actually like popular stuff now. Like music. Most of the groups I listen to are not popular in the United States (partially because they are japanese), but I see various advertisements and hear music I like everywhere. For example, Ikimonogakari and Arashi. It is also funny that I recognize more of the actors on TV than I would in the United States. In the mornings I sometimes watch part of a drama about a teacher starring Inoue Mao. I almost never watched TV in the United States, but it is easy to find stuff that I would like to watch here. Most of the time I am busy with other stuff, but it is fun to sit down with okaasan, drink some cold mugicha, and watch a show. Not only music, but also clothes. When I went to a clothes store yesterday, it was easy to find cute stuff that I liked.
Ｔｈｅｒｅ ｉｓ ａｌｍｏｓｔ ｔｏｏ ｍｕｃｈ ｔｏ ｌｉｓｔ， ｓｏ ｔｈｉｓ ｉｓ ｉｔ ｆｏｒ ｎｏｗ！
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