Ensoku

Today was the ensoku (field trip) to Motto for a BBQ. All the second years met up in Motto, which is like a suburb/town a couple of train stops away. I was finally able to ride the train in Japan! It was crowed going there and coming back, but coming back we were able to get seats :D. We were allowed to wear whatever, as long as it was long pants and the guys couldn't wear sweat pants because they’d look like Yankees. When I first heard that, I was like "Eh? they would look like americans?" but it's not only derogatory word towards people from the US. Yanki (delinquent youth) also refers to rather sketchy/ up to no good looking people who “normal” ppl in Japan try to avoid.

 I wore jeans, tank top over long sleeve shirt, coulourful hoodie, my rainbow scarf and converse. I also braided my hair. Otousan (host dad) drove me, host sis and a couple of friends to the station. I felt over dressed, because they were just wearing a baggy sweater and track pants. It turned out almost everyone was like that. I felt better when we met one of our other friends at the station and she was dressed rather colourful too :D. I don’t quite understand why, when they had a chance to dress up a bit, almost everyone just wore their sports uniform/ sweatshirt and track pants :S ??  However, I got kawaiis from people and called oshare (well dressed) but it could have also refered to oshare kei, which is a really colourful style/ type of music that I like. Either way it made me happy.

So we ended up walking to a park about an hour away from Motto Station. I didn’t really mind the exercise, but it was kinda hot >.<. When we got there, the park was actually right next to the ocean! It was soo beautiful!! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera battery in the charger T.T Baka (idiot/stupid)! It was awesome standing on the beach and being able to see the ocean and the mountains. :D

We had yakisoba again :p. It was kinda funny, because everyone else’s fire pit thing was really clean, while ours had food spilled all over it XD. My face ended up getting sunburned, but not too bad. Being a ginger, my freckles have really come out though. ><

I had a really good time hanging out with everyone, but by the end I was soo tired. I think it was all the sun.

AFS BBQ and Hanging out in Kanazawa

I have been in Japan a little more than a month now! Time has gone by so fast, but it also feels like I have been here forever.

Today was a holiday, so we had a kind of welcome BBQ with everyone from AFS. It was in a park outside of the main city. It was soo beautiful! All the green, and being able to see the mountains!

Unfortunately, my camera died, so I didn’t get very many pictures. My cell phone (pics of phone here) camera is only 1.3 megapixels so the pics would suck... plus I'm not sure if there is a way to get them on to my computer. Also, it was pretty cold and windy, but it was still a lot of fun hanging out with everyone. We had yakisoba for lunch. Yakisoba seems like what you have at every BBQ. You have a big pan thing over the fire, and then grill the vegetables and meat and soba (noodles) and mix it all up. So tasty!

I met one of the Rotary exchange students from Canada at my Japanese Lessons, and so after the BBQ, us 3 AFSers met up with him and two other ppl from rotary (a girl from Canada, and a guy from the US). Since they have been here since last August, they showed us around Kanazawa. We went and did purikura! I finally got to go! Purikura is like a photo booth, except so much better. You take pictures, and can have the backgrounds and then afterwards, you write/decorate the pictures.

Afterwards, the Rotary girl left and the rest of us went and did karaoke for about 3 hours. It was a lot of fun. We sang everything from Jpop to hardcore rap to Circle of Life and Barbie Girl XD.

We had okonomiyaki for supper. Sooo delicious! I think it is my favourite food in Japan, tied with Curry Rice XD. It is kinda like a pancake pizza thing. You get all the ingredients in a bowl which are the batter, shredded cabbage, egg and some other vegetables. You also get some kind of meat you grill first, and then stick in to the batter. I had shrimp. You mix everything yourself, and then stick on the grill to cook, and flip it once. After there are different sauces and spices you can put on top. It tastes really good with mayonnaise :D. I love Japanese mayonnaise! It tastes so much better than the stuff in N. America.

The AFS girl left right after, and the rest of us walked around a bit before we went our separate ways. Kanazawa is quite a lively city. I unfortunately missed the last bus home, and was going to walk (only about 15 mins) but my host mom came and picked me up instead. I felt bad that she had to come and get me… but everything turned out all right.

Everyone at school is busy with clubs, so they can't really hang out. It was great to finally be able to go out and hang out with friends.

Hopefully I can hang out with everyone again soon, it was a lot of fun!

Blueberry Frappuccino

On the weekend, my host sis was away. Okaasan and I went to this dance festival nearby. There was everything from break dancing to more traditional dances. Everyone was so good! It was cute seeing the kids - some were like 6 or 7 - break dancing. We also ran into my friend (from school)'s mom. Okaasan and her have been friends for awhile. She was really nice, and kept saying how cute I was XD. She also asked to borrow my skirt, haha. Everyone in Kanazawa seems to dress well... like really fashionable, designer jeans and whatnot...

It was really cold so we went to Starbucks to get something hot, but I ended up getting a Blueberry Frappuccino XD

It was soooo delicious!!

People at school found it funny that I hung out with 2 moms, but I had a good time with them. It was nice to be with japanese people that were a little more...mature... but only a little XD.

Biology

So in most of my classes, the teachers just ignore me… which is okay I guess since I don’t understand. However, in Biology, the teacher tries to include me and help me understand. She writes the main vocab in English, and will write the hiragana (reading) of the kanji. She is so nice, and I really appreciate the extra effort she makes to help me understand. I have already learned what they are doing… which helps too.

Anyway, we had a test in bio yesterday, on the parts of an animal and plant cell. I had to write it as well. I ended up getting….*drum roll* … 9/13! 4 questions I couldn’t answer because it was a whole bunch of complicated kanji. I wrote all but one of my answers in Japanese. When my teacher saw my mark, she was pretty shocked that I was even able to answer, let alone pass (and do better than about half the class XD).

Yes, I know the parts of a cell in Japanese, but I’m still having trouble having a simple conversation >.<

Ninjas and cell phones

So this past weekend I had an AFS orientation (Saturday) and then stayed the night at my LP's (liaison person) house.

On friday, me and the 2 other exchangers met up with the AFS Kanzawa chapter volunteers. We had lunch in some international exchange building, but it looked like a traditional japanese house. We all spent some times talking about the rules.

I finally got a cell phone!

It's definitely not one I would pick - I wanted a bright colored one - but it has unlimited messaging and works for what I need. I am very grateful that AFS set it up and so quickly too. I haven't even been here a month.

Afterwards, we went to Ninjadera (aka Myoryuji Temple). The temple doesn't actually have anything to do with ninjas. Myoryuji Temple was built as a prayer place of the Kaga Domain soon after Lord Maeda Toshiie, founder of the Kaga Domain, moved to Kanazawa Castle. Later, in preparation for an emergency attack of the central government (Tokugawa Shogunate), the Maeda family considered the temples in Tera-machi as a shield. Then the family added a number of functions to Myoryuji Temple so that it would work as a lookout post and fort. To countermeasure the invasion of enemies, Myoryuji Temple is provided with a variety of mechanisms. That is why this temple is also called Ninja Temple. -Kanazawa Tourism Guide
It was so cool seeing all the secret rooms and hidden staircases. Unfortunately pictures weren't allowed, but if you search it, you would probably find pics on the internet. After we went out for supper. We had yakiniku (lit: grilled meat). You have a grill built into your table and then your order the meat and vegetables and grill it yourself. It was oishii (delicious)!

I went to my LP's house after (LP is kinda like your counselor, makes sure you're doing well, etc.) She was really nice. I also met her husband. He was quiet, but really nice. He even gave me his business card. I am making connections XD ! They were really hospitable, and I felt really bad that I forgot their gifts >.<. Oh well, I will give it to them next time we meet.

They also have a dog. His name was Asa-kun... (i think). He was sooo adorable, and really hyper and friendly. From what I've heard, I always thought shiba inus were kinda... not friendly XD. But he kept getting in my face (ie: jumping in my lap) to get me to pet him. We also played ball for quite awhile.

Sunday, we went to Daiso! It's a 100 yen shop. There was sooo much stuff, and it was actually decent quality, rather than the crap at the dollar stores in Canada. I bought a Stitch handkerchief, some school supplies, a makeup case and a compact mirror.
Afterward we went to a play all the way in Komatsu. her niece's school had guests actors, and she invited us. The play genre is called Kyogen. It's a comedy, in old japanese. I didn't understand much, but their expressions, actions and the way they talked still made it funny. We also went out for Curry Rice after. I had shrimp in mine, and it was sooo good! I know it's not japanese, but curry is my favourite at the moment :D.

Time for bed... I'm starting to get super tired again. Back home, my sleeping patterns were really screwed up - take 1 or 2 hours to fall asleep and wake up at 3:30am and almost hour after until about 9am. It wasn't like that every night, but happened quite often. I have realized that lately (last week or so) I wake up between 3:40am and 3:55am every morning. Luckily I can fall back to sleep within an hour. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse >.<

Klutz

So it finally happened. I was kinda expecting this eventually. For those who don't know me, I can be quite... accident prone/klutzy...whatever you wanna call it.

Last night, I fell asleep after my bath (10:30pm). I woke up at about 11:30pm and realized that I had forgotten to wash out my bento box (bad exchange student, haha). So I got out of bed and was going down the stairs half asleep and in the dark. You can probably guess what happened next. I missed a step and fell down 4 or 5 steps. My host family heard all the noise and opened the door of the living room to find me on the floor laughing XD. I don't know why, but whenever I have an... accident... I laugh - at myself I guess, lol.
They were all worried if I was hurt. In Japan, it seems every cut or bruise is made a big deal about. I'm fine, except for one or 2 bruises on my knees. I had not had a problem being klutzy until now >.< Iya... (not good)

Then this morning waiting for the bus, I found a cut on my leg that was still bleeding. I have no idea how I hurt myself :S I have also noticed that I have some bruises on my legs and I'm not sure how they got there... maybe from my bike??

Library...again...

Yesterday, after school I watched the kyuudo club. I’ve decided not to join, Nothing against them, but shooting at a target everyday, for the next year just doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve found out there is a girls soccer club, so I will probably join that.

Today was the health check, where they check your weight, height, eyes, etc. I didn’t have to do it, so I ended up sitting in the library for the morning. I did study a bit, but slept too XD

Lots of people passed by, and some wave at me. There were a couple groups of guys that were rather… enthusiastic and were jumping up and down, waving and 1 or 2 blew kisses, haha XD

Only 2 groups of them actually had the guts to come in and say hi, but that’s about it. One guy did say they liked my hair when he was leaving. ;). I tried to have a conversation with them, asking what club they were in or what sports they liked, but only a few actually answered. So shy >.<

A whole bunch of girls came in and said hi. The group of sannen (3^rd year/ gr12) girls that mobbed me the first day came in and we talked for a bit. They were commenting on my eyes (green) and one girl said they wanted to trade, lol. When they found out that my hair was natural, they started touching it, and were saying they were super jealous :D.

I also got my pic taken today for my student ID card. They give you a card with your name and number and you can’t smile, just like a mug shot XD.

I Love You... EHH??!! O.O

So, today was the first real day of school. Started off with Bio (I think) and the teacher was really nice. She did a little questionaire thing to get to know her students, and she included me and tried to make sure I understood the questions :D. They guy who sits next to me was shocked when I could write my answers in Japanese XD. Classic Literature I was pretty much ignored, but I had no idea what was going on anyway. Geography, I just looked through the text book. In English, I'm like the assistant of the class. The teacher had me do my introduction in eng in front of the class and then people asked me questions in English. I've noticed that I get embarrassed way less easily now. In Canada, and would get all flustered talking in front of the class, and would blush really easily, but it has yet to happen. The speech in front of everyone is probably what knocked the speaking fear out of me (if that makes sense). It didn't even phase me when I got asked the boyfriend question XD.

We were in the gym for club presentations, and during an intermission thing, this one guy came up to me and told me he loved me and then ran away and disappeared into the crowd. I've never even talked to the guy before. I stood there in shock for a couple seconds... I was like O.O ... The girls I was talking to before were giggling at my expression.

It didn't end there. I stayed late after school today to help my host sis and her friend making a time table for class. A whole bunch of guys passed by heading to club practice and when they saw me they started yelling my name XD. Later, 2 of them (one at a time) came in shook my hand and said "nice to meet you and I like you". I could hear them in the hall so I went out and was like, "anyone else?" I ended up meeting pretty much the entire (guys) tennis club and got a couple kawaiis o(^.^)o
The guys have been really shy up until now, but I guess they had more guts to say hi because I was alone and there were a lot of them, haha...

I've kinda decided against the kyuudo club. I don't see myself enjoying it... I think it would get boring after awhile. I want to join soccer, but I was talking to a girl who went on exchange last year and she said soccer is a guys game here, and they probably won't let me join. I'm kinda friends with a guy in the club, so maybe I'll ask him if I would be able join first, instead of getting turned down by the whole club. XD
If not, well I'll have to figure something else out... maybe track? I want to get in shape. I eat so much here compared to Canada, even though it's still less than everyone else >.<

PS: Added more songs to the music player thing <--- I think there are 40 songs on there now...

Chaya District and Kenrokuen

 

So yesterday, I went to Higashi Chaya District. It’s like a bunch of old houses. Chaya is a traditional place of feasts and entertainment, where geisha (traditional female Japanese entertainers) have been entertaining people by performing dances and playing Japanese traditional musical instruments since the Edo period. Read more about it here. 

Okaasan and me walked there and back (really close, like 10mins). We past by a bunch of sakura (cherry blossoms) trees and I took quite a few pictures. Chaya district was pretty cool. There were a bunch of souvenir shops inside, although kinda pricy so I didn’t buy anything. 

 I was trying to get a picture of all the ice cream flavours, but failed >.< It turned into a neat picture tho. The flavours (that I remember) are: Salt, Matcha (Green Tea), Soy Sauce, Salted Caramel, Tofu, Blue Berry(what I got...really good!), Strawberry, Sesame Seed, Sweet Potato (or some kind of potato) and Vanilla.

While we were out, traffic was lined up everywhere. This weekend was the first weekend where most of the sakura were bloomed (word??), and since it was supposed to rain today, everyone was trying to get to Kenrokuen Gardens to see the sakura. Hanami is basically cherry blossom viewing. Most of the time people get together, and have a picnic and generally have a good time (normally beer included XD) under the sakura.

Last night, we went to Kenrokuen. At night, all the sakura are lit up, and its really pretty, which it was. However, the place was packed! And I was one of the only foreigners there. I saw 2 ladies at the end. The place is packed with tourists during the day, but I guess they don’t know about everything being illuminated at night. It was hard getting pictures, because it was so dark, but I got a couple good ones.

School tomorrow! I think I’m gonna have to make a decision really soon on what club to join. I know the ichinens (1^st years) start signing up tomorrow. I’m torn between:

Kyuudo(archery): It's japanese, wouldn't have a chance to do it anywhere else, I have a somewhat friend in the club. However, it’s almost 400$ and seems like it would get boring after awhile...
OR
Soccer: I've played soccer in the past and enjoyed it although I wasn't very good.

I know my school is kinda pressuring me to do something Japanese… but I’m kinda wanting to join soccer. It seems tho that it’s mostly, if not all guys, and since they’re shy, not sure if they would talk to me...

I know sports clubs are really competitive (like 5/6 days a week and a couple hours a day) but I think it would be great to be that committed to/work so hard at something plus I could get in to shape. o(^.^)o

3 Hours in the Library, 17 Followers and a Kit Kat

Everyone had tests in the morning, so I ended up in the library for 3 hours "studying". I did actually study for a bit, but also kinda fell asleep...heh. One of the english teachers also came and talked to me for a bit. He told me I was welcome to come to the english teacher room if I got bored in the library. I was later tempted, but then realized I didn't know where it was >.<

I was looking over my blog layout, and noticed that I know have 17 followers and 1000 views. It may not seem like alot to some, but I couldn't believe that this many people wanted to keep up to date with my blog :D. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my posts. I hope you will continue to enjoy my updates. Also, check out other exchangers blogs. I have a huge list of them, so hopefully you will find them interesting as well.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but I've added more pages to this blog. You can find the links near the top of the page, under the header. I haven't posted much on them yet other than the kit kat page, but that will happen soon.

Thank you for visiting Jenny in Japan. Please come again. ^^

First day of School

Today was the first day of school! It was awesome! Everyone is sooo nice! :D

(WARNING: super long post...sorry if it bores you :p)

Biking was soo cold! My legs were purple after >.<. The whole time I was trying to prevent my skirt from blowing up. The wind kept catching it, and it came very close a couple times. I guess it wouldn’t have been a big deal, since I had shorts on… but they are short, so ppl may not think they were shorts XD.

We got there kinda early (plus the teacher who was meeting us was stuck in traffic XD) so my host sis and I wandered around the school for a bit. There weren't that many people cause it was still early, so I didn’t get much attention. We finally met up with the teacher, and then my host sis left for her test and I did my speech in front of all the teachers. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. They seemed quite impressed with my Japanese :D. After, the English teachers introduced themselves to me. There’s a guy from France (I think… he sounded French) and a lady from Australia, and then a couple japanese English teachers. One of them did a 2 month exchange to Canada, but she said her English wasn’t very good so she would like me to help her :). They had more of a meeting to do, so I went and sat in the hall.

A group of 3rd year girls (grade 12) came around a corner and when they saw me, they started freaking out. They all rushed up to me and started asking my name, where I was from, telling me their names (all at once XD) or screaming kawaii! It was like a feeding frenzy. They had to go to class, so I was left alone once again. The teachers finished their meeting, so one of the teachers showed me around the school. He was showing me the garden, kirei (pretty!) and then we were heading to the door near my hallway, and it ended up being locked >.<. So we stood there for a bit (freezing) and a student walked by and let us in :D.

Btw 3rd years on third floor, 1st years on second floor and the 2nd years (me) are on the first floor. Next was insane… We walked around the corner, and all 6 or so classes of 2nd years were coming out of their rooms after their tests. We walked to my class, and the whole time everyone was screaming kawaii! or metcha kawaii! (really cute) and waving and yelling my name. I felt like a star XD. I got to my class and then all the girls rushed up to me telling me their names and whatnot. I feel bad cause I can only remember about half >.<. There are 4 guys and 35 girls in my class O.O. We sat down, the homeroom teacher talked a bit about the trip to Australia (which I’m not allowed to go on T.T) and then time for assembly.

I was rather nervous being in front of 800 some ppl, but my speech went really well. :D When I kinda paused after the first bit, a couple girls yelled kawaii! and all my nervousness disappeared (confidence booster! XD) The only problem was the mic was too high on stage, so I had to stand on my tip toes, haha. After, when I was walking to the back of the gym, some of the teachers told me I did really good, excellent speech, etc ^^.

After we went to “clean” which involved (at least for my group) standing in a circle talking with brooms in our hands. In Japan, the students clean the schools, instead of having janitors. I guess it’s good discipline, unless some people to help (such as the girls I was with, lol.) The "french" English teacher walked by, and told everyone to take good care of me. They all nodded, and once he was gone, they asked me what he'd said XD. It also involved more kawaii-ing, lol and screaming (they are like crazy fan girls XD).

We had homeroom after, and there was more talk about the trip and other stuff I didn’t understand. He then talked about how everyone has to talk to me in English, to practice for Australia. I don’t mind helping them… but I want to practice my Japanese! My homeroom teacher’s English is really good btw.

There was 45 mins left of school (half day) so he just let us talk for the rest. Almost no one can pronounce my last name (homeroom teacher finally got it when I wrote it in Katakana), so everyone just calls me Jenny. In Japan, a lot of people are called by their last name, but mine is too difficult for most people. I prefer Jenny, over last name anyway. I talked to the guy beside me for a bit (he likes soccer ^^). I only talked to 2 guys, and like a bajillion girls today. The guys are pretty shy, so I was kinda surprised when the guy beside me started a conversation. My class was one of the last to be let out, so when we got out of class, there were a whole bunch of people standing in the hall. Again with the screaming kawaii and my name. I met some more people, and then some girls down the hall, who I’ve never met were jumping up and down yelling Jenny and waving. Some guys imitated them (I think to make fun…not sure XD). The other guy I met is friends with some of my host sister’s friends, and he said hi, and then when he got to the end of the hall, he blew a kiss back at us XD. Again, surprising cause I thought Japanese guys were shy, lol.

We finally got to our bikes and then came home. Everyone was waving goodbye to me XD. The biking thing is super cold at the moment… and stupid wind makes it more difficult, haha.

Anyway, that was a really long post. Sorry, but I wanted to give everyone a good idea of what my day was like. To sum it up, I was like a famous person to everyone, tee hee ^^

I still don’t know what I club I want to join. I kinda had my heart set on Kendo (Japanese sword fighting), and it said on there website they offered it, but not anymore I guess >.<
I’m thinking Kyuudo (archery), Martial Arts, or soccer…

Japanese Lessons

Today was my first Japanese Lesson. Unfortunately it was raining so we had to drive, and we ran into traffic. We were running late so okaasan starts taking all the side roads. I was hoping I could try and remember where to go, but the zigzagging made that impossible. I was only a couple minutes late, so it was okay.

I got into the class and sat down, and someone calls my name. It was the other girl from AFS who lives in Kanazawa. I’m glad she’s taking the class with me. Ureshii (happy)! There’s about 10 people in the class, and everyone else is either in university or working in Kanazawa. It made me feel young XD. The teacher is really nice, and she makes sure to get everyone involved. She would ask questions using the verb form we were learning, and then we had to respond. Things like our hobbies and what we were going to do after class. I kept answering anime/manga or something to do with food XD I couldn’t think of anything else >.<. There is a lot to learn, so we’re going to go pretty fast. I think I’m gonna enjoy this class :D!

I start school tomorrow! I’m so excited, but nervous about my speech and being able to communicate with everyone. I have my speech pretty much memorized, so hopefully I don’t blank. I have to introduce myself in front of the teachers and then the entire school at the assembly! Still, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow! (not biking for 30 mins to school in a skirt part tho)


My host sis came back from Yokohama today. She got me an omiyage (souvenir). A cell phone strap with my name and Hello Kitty! Kawaii! I should be getting a phone in the next week or 2… hopefully ^^

Gotta get up early tomorrow for school. I have to be there at 8am instead of 8:30 like everyone else, because I have to introduce myself to the teachers. Wish me luck!

Oyasumi! ^^ (good night)

Buzz Buzz

So when okaasan got back from work, I went up to my room to get my stuff for my japanese lesson. However, when I got to my room… there was a surprise, unwanted guest on my window.

The next minute or 2:
Me: Ahhh!!
Okaasan: Jenny, daijoubu? (are you okay?)
Me: ano… heya ni mushi bzz bzz wa aru. (um... There is a bzz bzz bug in my room. - I didn't know what it was called in japanese XD)
Okaasan(in my room): eh! Hachi. Abunai! (it’s a wasp. Careful/dangerous!)

We were able to catch it between the 2 shoji screens on my window. I guess they got rid of it while I was at IFIE. So if you were paying attention, I had a wasp in my room. Wasps here are like twice the size of the ones in Canada! Kowai (scary)! We still have no idea how it got in there :S.

So I’ve signed up for Japanese Lessons. I’m level 2 (out of 4). When they gave me the application, they said the classes were on Tuesday and Thursday. Then when I got the email for my placement, they said it was Wednesday and Friday. I email them back asking if that was right, and they said no, my lvl 2 class was really on Tuesday and Thursday.

Okaasan and I biked to the building for my classes, and she said she would meet me there after. I got to my supposed classroom, and I was the only one there. After about 5 mins 2 guys came. We started talking while waiting for the teacher, and they said they were in lvl 1 class. I thought: oh crap! I bet my class is actually tomorrow >.< It was weird being in a higher level than them because they were in their mid/late 20s XD. Anyway, the teacher came and told me to go to the office, because this was lvl 1 class.

I went down to the office and they told me my class was tomorrow So confusing >.< Anyway, at least I’m getting lots of practice biking to IFIE. I think I am almost ready to go alone :)

Also, I finally finished my speech for the assembly at school on Thursday. Now I just have to memorize it...

Tour

Bike Ride of Doom

Today, my host mom showed me the way to school by bike. If I described it in one word it would be kowai (scary).

I have not ridden a bike in a while (year or 2) so for the first bit I was kinda shaky/ unbalanced. My seat was loose which did not help because I kept turning it. Anyway I thought I would just deal with it, but then came the first crossing so I hit the breaks, and the one side screeched like a dying squirrel. No joke, I screamed, which made my host mom turned around XD. The breaks were also kinda slow (one side doesn’t work at all). My host mom still wanted to show me the route, since it was supposed to be rainy the next couple days, so we ended up switching bikes. Her seat was really low, which made it a bit more difficult to pedal, but wasn’t that bad.

Now for the actual route, the first 15 minutes I was scared. I had to drive on the road with the cars. It’s a main road so there were lots, and I would freak out when they drove by, because they are like right next to you (sometimes within a couple inches O.o). About halfway in, there was a sidewalk we could bike on so that was better. It was still kinda nerve wracking because there were a lot of side roads, and you can’t see if there’s a car coming until you actually cross. We finally got to school after 30 mins and she showed me where to park my bike. There were only one or two hills, and I wasn’t too tired. I will be in good shape though. :D.

Then it was time to come back. It was busier, being close to rush hour. Returning seemed to go a lot faster. When you’re not watching out for cars, you have to watch out for bikes. When we were about 10 minutes from home, we were crossing the street, and this one guyon a bike almost ran into my host mom, so she kinda veered away, which caused her to almost run into the side of a taxi turning >.<. A lot of the streets in japan are pretty narrow, so it can be difficult maneuvering around pedestrians, other bikers and cars.

We got home safe and sound. I don’t remember much of the route other than we crossed 2 rivers, train tracks and drove through the parking lot of the gym where my host sis practices. All of my attention went to trying not to run into anyone or get run over. I’m sure everyone got a good laugh watching the gaijin (foreigner) trying to ride a bike XD.

I’m sure in time I will get used to it and with practice I will learn where to go. I did not crash into anything and I can still ride a bike, so to me, it was a success.
I also got my skirt, so pics of uniform soon to come...

Edit: Host dad is in the process of trying to fix my bike…

Quack Quack and Swiss Cheese English

Yes I know, very random title XD...

First of all I want to wish my sister back home a Happy Birthday!!! I miss you very much ♥ and am sorry I could not be there to spend it with you. I hope you have an awesome birthday and a great time at The Crèperie ^^ (jealous…).


Now yesterday, me and my host sis took the bus back to school to buy slippers and gym shoes and pick up my blouses. I want to thank my AFS chapter for paying for my bike, uniform and bus card. It has been a big help financially and I greatly appreciate it ^^. All the new students entering high school were also there buying there uniform, so I got quite a few stares… and they were not discreet about it. We were walking past a fiver (my school is right beside it) and the was a duck in the water. MY host sis asked what kamo was in English. I starting saying it was a quack…tho I quickly recovered and said it was a duck. My English is starting to resemble swiss cheese, with certain words missing XD.

After getting my shoes, my host sis wanted to go to blank (don’t remember the name) department store. It’s pretty much like a Walmart, super low prices. We didn’t end up buying anything, but my host sis liked looking through all the makeup. I was very surprised when she told me her mom doesn’t allow her to wear makeup. She is 16 btw… I guess because makeup is not allowed at school, her mom doesn’t see a point in wearing it…idk. I’m glad the rule doesn’t apply to me tho XD.
We took the bus back (I think I pretty much understand the bus system and where to get off :D)

Today, I went with my host mom the supermarket. There were sales at 2 different stores so we went to both, and my host mom bought me cookie flavoured kitkat (it tastes the same as normal kitkat) for helping her :). My host sis and mom went out for a bit and spent the afternoon at home with my host bro. We watched this show, kinda like America’s Funniest Home Videos, except really extreme, dangerous events. Then after they had this show were a panel would watch videos and chose which one was the most baka (stupid) stunt, accident, etc. They were quite funny :D

My host sis is leaving to Yokohama for a break dance competition, so I’m gonna go say goodbye.
All my posts seem kinda long… hopefully I’m not boring anyone...

Exploring Kanazawa

Yesterday, my host sister invited me to Kanazawa Station. We got there by bus and met some of her friends. They’re going to a concert in april, and were buying the tickets to Osaka. I didn’t really understand much of what they were talking about, but it was interesting looking around the station. I got my bus card, so now I don’t have to worry about having exact change… just making sure there’s money on it XD.

Since I was finally able to pack the day before, I gave my host family their omiyage (gifts). I gave them maple candy, Canada pens and pins and a book with pics of Alberta. I was kinda embarrassed to I gave it to them before I went for a bath. They seemed to really like them so it made me happy.

Today My host sis took me for a walk around Kenrokuen Garden and our neighbourhood. It’s still cold, so everything looks kinda dead, but I’m sure it will be quite beautiful when the cherry blossoms bloom There were so many little shops and I now know where some of my gifts are coming from XD. There is also ice cream at almost every shop. We stopped for some. I got matcha (green tea), it was actually kinda good… a little bitter but good. She also showed me where to get on the bus for school and the nearest post office ATM for me to withdraw money. I don’t remember how to get to either, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

This evening, I had to go back to city hall, because they needed a picture for my alien registration card. After, I went back to the Ishikawa International Exchange Building to apply for my Japanese lessons. I had a mini interview and then a 60 question test (100 points) afterwards to determine what level class I should take. My speaking ability sucks, but the test went better… although there were some questions I pretty much guessed >.<. I’m looking forward to the lessons twice a week since I will be able to improve that much faster.

Btw, there were tons of tourists at Kenrouken. I was surprised by how many there were when the sakura haven’t even bloomed yet. While we were there I got stared at by both the Japanese and the foreigners XD probably because of my hair (red) or maybe my age… The staring is still quite amusing. I can’t help but smile sometimes ^^. I think it also enforces the fact I’m in Japan! :D