Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful..As Is The Cold Inside.
How was Christmas? What did you get? Lots of good food, sleep and TV? A comfortale mix for sure! I watched 'Santa Who?' and 'Miracle on 34th Street' in a row one evening, whilst assembling a TV cabinet and clothes rail!
I'm in the Art Room- I have some 1st Year friends who 'hangout' there-and it's a twist different from being in the 'shokuinsu' all day. The girls are very cute..they did pencil drawings of me on my first visit and straightened my hair the last!
Yesterday-Christmas Day, I had no lessons but the day was busy, filled with speeches, the closing ceremony and sessions of cleaning. Mundane-yet more tanoshi than aujourd' hui.
Today, school is officially closed, but only technically. There are tons of students and teachers cramming as many brain cells as there are fish eggs in Japanese intestines- with the extra atoms of information. Talking of those little orange balls that would house baby Nemos-if left to nature-I had some in my Obento Sushibox! It's still here waiting for me-to dispose of it. There are somethings I will not eat, forget trying to 'fit in!'
Still, only approaching two thirty.
A while to go before I can begin my 'adventure!' I will go to Kofu-the main city of Yamanashi, where I will board the ten o'clock coach for an eight hour ride to Kyoto. Sal will also travel overnight from cold snowy Kanazawaa and we will rendez-vous a six heures le soir. We anticipate a hectic week of site-seeing teeth-chattering fun! Full circle, we shall spend New Years in Tokyo.
We plan to laugh, photograph and knit our way around Kinki, Chubu an Kanto!
However Christmas is far from the traditional festivities I have been brought up to enjoy. The tree decorating Sunday, the heaving shopping trolleys of scrumptious delights, the sneaky swapping of the Christmas cracker toy at the oval dining table where we overeat close to combustion, then watch the 'Only Fools and Horses' Christmas specials! Thank scientists for technology! And thank God for Mr Bell. The Invention makes me feel close to home, near my family -almost as if I were with them-even if for only whilst the conversation lasts. Last night I fell asleep to their voices, excitedly describing their day.
Christmas evening was lots of fun. My Japanese 'gang'...or family, came round and we had a mini fiesta. Each of us made food and bought a gift that we simultaneoulsy passed around our 'circle' until Senior Sinatra Jingled his Bells to an end- leaving us with a different present from when the music began. Etsuko, Akhira, Junko, Setsuko and I - we all had lots of fun.
I feel very sleepy and am presently craving chocolate [I blame it on the weather]. May be the vending machines will have some........
Friday, 26 December 2003
Thursday, 2 October 2003
October Already
Today is already Thursday, cant believe its October so soon. This time last year we had just started our final year and moved in to our place off Park St, Bristol going to Iia Mas with 'EhEh'Catherine and 'IDontKnow'Mariani-oh, it was so much fun and I really do miss uni life. 'Naughty'Nicola...'Gansta'Anna....'NeveronTime'Sal....'Spikey'Ed....Kate'Hayhed'.....'Trenchcoat'Phil..'Streetboy'Tom.....All the UWE BA Marketing posse.....what have you been up to??!!!!
Yesterday morning was fantastic-Reena or RINNNNNNA surprised me at 6 am-it was so nice to catch up with her. It's over 11 years ago since she first asked me if she could borrow a pencil in our first class on our first day of secondary school!!
Hopefully next weekend-A Bank Holiday! A group of us will go to Tokyo Disney for my birthday!! Yay! I wsh Aladdin was real....
Today is already Thursday, cant believe its October so soon. This time last year we had just started our final year and moved in to our place off Park St, Bristol going to Iia Mas with 'EhEh'Catherine and 'IDontKnow'Mariani-oh, it was so much fun and I really do miss uni life. 'Naughty'Nicola...'Gansta'Anna....'NeveronTime'Sal....'Spikey'Ed....Kate'Hayhed'.....'Trenchcoat'Phil..'Streetboy'Tom.....All the UWE BA Marketing posse.....what have you been up to??!!!!
Yesterday morning was fantastic-Reena or RINNNNNNA surprised me at 6 am-it was so nice to catch up with her. It's over 11 years ago since she first asked me if she could borrow a pencil in our first class on our first day of secondary school!!
Hopefully next weekend-A Bank Holiday! A group of us will go to Tokyo Disney for my birthday!! Yay! I wsh Aladdin was real....
Sports Festival at Tsuru High School =FUN
Sports Festival at Tsuru High School =FUN
I wish my school sports Days were LESS BORING, SERIOUS and MUNDANE because at this school they actually make P.E. FUN!!! I wasn't a fan of P.E. at my school-lessons were far too competitive and you never really counted if you weren't in the rara hockey, netball or rugby team. There is more to life you know...like enjoyment !
Crazy Races
OH MY GOSH...We had Sports Day this week.... The crazy races are awesome. Sooo funny!
Race 1- An obstacle course where they:
a) Rub faces in bowl of flour
b) Crawl under a net
c) Blow up a balloon and sit on it so it pops
d) Spin round a baseball bat-to the point of collapse
e) Drink a Yakult
f) Find piece of paper from a tombola and run back
Race 2 - A three-legged Race to a box containing a forfeit...then they run to the microphone in the middle of the field and read it out to the school. The forfeits are to fetch certain objects such as a chair, a person over 100kg...etc...Quite funny!!
Race 3 - A boy wears a padded hat with a balloon attached to it and sits on the shoulders of 2 other lads. About 5 groups line up on the two ends of the field and when the pistol fires they run in and battle it out - whacking each others heads in an almighty attempt to burst the balloon using newspaper truncheons!! You will understand when you see the pictures as to how funny the events are!!
I wish my school sports Days were LESS BORING, SERIOUS and MUNDANE because at this school they actually make P.E. FUN!!! I wasn't a fan of P.E. at my school-lessons were far too competitive and you never really counted if you weren't in the rara hockey, netball or rugby team. There is more to life you know...like enjoyment !
Crazy Races
OH MY GOSH...We had Sports Day this week.... The crazy races are awesome. Sooo funny!
Race 1- An obstacle course where they:
a) Rub faces in bowl of flour
b) Crawl under a net
c) Blow up a balloon and sit on it so it pops
d) Spin round a baseball bat-to the point of collapse
e) Drink a Yakult
f) Find piece of paper from a tombola and run back
Race 2 - A three-legged Race to a box containing a forfeit...then they run to the microphone in the middle of the field and read it out to the school. The forfeits are to fetch certain objects such as a chair, a person over 100kg...etc...Quite funny!!
Race 3 - A boy wears a padded hat with a balloon attached to it and sits on the shoulders of 2 other lads. About 5 groups line up on the two ends of the field and when the pistol fires they run in and battle it out - whacking each others heads in an almighty attempt to burst the balloon using newspaper truncheons!! You will understand when you see the pictures as to how funny the events are!!
Thursday, 25 September 2003
Just Thinking........a rainy afternoon in september...
I have finished for the day and am just thinking....
Everybody here is so cool - some really wicked friends-it's amazing-we are all from different places and backgrounds, yet click really well!!
I hate to admit it but there are some 'maybe not so good' experiences...
The whole lets eat and cook every creature that walks and hide it in anything edible' really is a frustrating issue for me.
But MUM if you are reading this thank you so much for forcing me to take my spices even though I did think it was a ridiculous suggestion back in England! Mums do know best!
And on a positive note...
Other than that, I love it here, the view from my balcony, the people, kids and culture are all so welcoming and already I feel I have picked up some mannerisms to take home with me. The best examples will be the Reflex-Head-Nod and bowing and not being so assertive I.E. adding 'maybe'...'it is better this way'...! So respectful - the Japanese!
I have ticked of quite a few of my 'To Do List' that I had in my head before I came here like visit Kyoto, go Sumo Wrestling, Climb Mount Fuji, but there are many more things to add as I learn from my Japanese friends. One that I didn't anticipate was experience an earthquake...which was absolutely surreal even though it was minor!
Everybody here is so cool - some really wicked friends-it's amazing-we are all from different places and backgrounds, yet click really well!!
I hate to admit it but there are some 'maybe not so good' experiences...
The whole lets eat and cook every creature that walks and hide it in anything edible' really is a frustrating issue for me.
But MUM if you are reading this thank you so much for forcing me to take my spices even though I did think it was a ridiculous suggestion back in England! Mums do know best!
And on a positive note...
Other than that, I love it here, the view from my balcony, the people, kids and culture are all so welcoming and already I feel I have picked up some mannerisms to take home with me. The best examples will be the Reflex-Head-Nod and bowing and not being so assertive I.E. adding 'maybe'...'it is better this way'...! So respectful - the Japanese!
I have ticked of quite a few of my 'To Do List' that I had in my head before I came here like visit Kyoto, go Sumo Wrestling, Climb Mount Fuji, but there are many more things to add as I learn from my Japanese friends. One that I didn't anticipate was experience an earthquake...which was absolutely surreal even though it was minor!
Harajuku Shopping Sunday 21st September
The weather has changed dramatically since this weekend and now its only about 17oC or so... and wet - so it is a relief from the heat last week but it will get colder!
Despite the drenching rain we still found a 'splendid' number of funky shops in Harajuku...but I so wasn't prepared for the weather. Things are reminding me of England now!!
Despite the drenching rain we still found a 'splendid' number of funky shops in Harajuku...but I so wasn't prepared for the weather. Things are reminding me of England now!!
Earthquake Sumo! Sat 20th September
This weekend, I went to Tokyo to watch the penultimate game of the latest Sumo Wrestling tournament! Whilst we were there there was an earthquake...a mini tremor!
Reflection
I feel sorry for the wrestlers though, falling all over the place - there's something very melancholic about spending your youth trying to get overweight so you can push someone over...even though there is a huge respect and fame association, what do they do when they retire?
Reflection
I feel sorry for the wrestlers though, falling all over the place - there's something very melancholic about spending your youth trying to get overweight so you can push someone over...even though there is a huge respect and fame association, what do they do when they retire?
Kyoto Temple Hopping 13-15 September
Kyoto was amazing, took only 2 hours on the Shinkansen or Bullet Trains, but definitely worth visiting again. Will tell more later!
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