Another day at homestay, but this time, it's different. No longer am I bored, but frantically trying to get my things packed, getting laundry done, painting my fingernails and deciding what to bring and what to dump. lol today's the last full day at my host family's house and needless to say, I will miss them. The three kids are too energetic for me, but I've grown to like them. The only thing about them that makes me feel uncomfortable si that they like being close to me, a little TOO close. Don't worry, no rated PG-13 or above kinda crap, but the son always sits on me and the oldest daughter always hugs me and I'm not usually the kinda of person who likes receving affection. Sure, I'm probably the only big sister they'll have for a while and I do kinda spoil them like I do Gigi, but like I said, I don't like receiving affection, but I'm fine with giving. Anywho, aside from their overly closeness to me, they're still pretty good.
Ok, weirdness aside, what I've done these last some days... Well, I went to school with the two youngest. They go to a an international kindy school (kinda like preschool but with english). I was bored to death, but the kids seemed ok with me. Kosei seemed to like showing me off towards the end. There were about 20, maybe less kids in the school and three teachers, two of them were japanese with minimal english and the other was an american, who's name was Erica, who had been there for some months now. During what freetime we had from the kids, we talked and she told me that she was from kentucky.
Before coming to japan, she and her husband were in china teaching english there. She misses china a lot, but when she became pregnant with her son, they decided to go for a change and both found jobs in japan teaching english. She hasn't been back to america since having her son and her husband hasn't been back for three some years. Anyways, I found our conversation more enlightening than the kids because all of them gave me blank stares and were wary of the asian american.
The kindy is split up into two groups, those who are aged two and three are in the younger group and those who are four to six are in the older group. At the beginning of the day, the kids have freetime to do crafts and the like while other kids are getting dropped off. I helped on eof the two year olds do a small puzzle game. Then they're split up with one group learning english from Erica (taught in almost the same fashion as our camp does) and the other taught in japanese by miss tatami (one of the japanese teachers). I switched off from between the two and even got a present from one of the girls because she brought back presents from one of her trips to some city. Then they switch into pool time outside.
During pool time, one of the teachers stays in to clean while the other two watch the kids. It was REALLY hot outside and I didn't put sunblock on so I stayed in and helped Erica clean (it was her turn to clean first today) Afterwards, they come back in and switch into either english or japanese. I went to the japanese one with the little kids but they were as dead as they come and even Aina was quiet, but she had been quiet the whole morning, so I went over to the older side where they were having english and stayed there until lunch. the kids kept staring at me and seemed really surprised that an american was eating japanese food out of a bento (that my host mom prepared for me which I thought was really nice of her to do so). It was really uncomfortable and the girls I sat next to looked at me like they were afraid I was going to shop their heads off. I'm a good american! I don't shoot little kiddies!... unless if they're bad. (^_~)
After lunch, they go outside and play for 40 some minutes, but during this time, the younger kids have nap time until their parents come pick them up. The older kids opened up to me a little more and even had me play with them. Kosei kept dragging me around to do things for him. Anywho, I got darker (dammit!) and after the kids went in and took a nap, I went to the storage room (it was so goddamn packed and hot there! AGH!) to get my book to read, but in doing so, I noticed a book on erica's bag (in english might I add) and started to read the back when erica walks in. She told me I couldn read it during the kids' nap time, but I refused. We ended up having a chat for the rest of the time until my host mom came to pick us up. It was weird talking with her in that cramp and hot room across a shelf, but it was one of my better conversations that I've had with another american since homestay.
Later that day, we also went shopping for food and then went to Yuka's english lesson with her english teacher. He was a some 50 year old american from oregon. Perhaps one of the weirdest americans living in japan that I've ever met. He refuses to go back to america and looks down with disgust upon the presidential elections. I find him kind of funny, but... weird. Just really and absolutely plain weird. He has an obsession with spiritual healing and is doing some sort of research with frequency and healing. Sounds interesting, a little... weird, but I hope he gets somewhere with it though I'm not too sure Japan's ready for an american like him to conduct tests on their people. Oh well, nice guy though.
I expressed a desire to go to an okonomiyaki restaurant to my host mom when she asked where I wanted to go. Japanese dramas and anime can only do so much for you. I took a crapload of pictures of okonomiyaki and me flipping it. It was fun and the okonomiyaki was good too. the kids seem to love the place and my host parents told me that they come often. I also learned about monja, which is primarily the tokyo area which they eat it. It's kind of like okonomiyaki but more liquidy and instead of cutting it and picking the food up like you do with okonomiyaki, you scrap it off the pan. Interesting food and it tasted ok.
My host mom took me shopping the next two days in trying to find some speakers because I want it for my cakewalk. I went and bought a smaller suitcaseat the Beisia store too because my bag left bruises on my shoulder for several days. Many apologies to the two guys who helped carry my heavy bag and probably got bruises from it. I also bought some sunglasses and another pair of fake but uv protected glasses. what can I say, I like them. My host mom took me to the mall and I bought two pairs of cross earrings there. There were so many things that I wanted to buy, but I have no room for them in my bag and I didn't want to lug them around for another month and a half! We also went to eat omerice (rice covered with a thin layer of egg and it's tasty!) before picking up her kids from the kindy school.
That night, I think we went for okonomiyaki and then after we got back, my host dad went back to work and Aina wanted her birthday cake made. Her birthday is on the day that I leave, but her mom decided to make it before I left, but instead of making it the next day, Aina insisted that her mom make it that night. After making the cake, we wished Aina a happy birthday. When we finished eating the cake, we played shooter and look up, look down for a good hour before their mom ushered them to bathe and go to sleep. My host mom told me that it's pretty sad for my host dad cause he missed out on Aina's birthday again. He missed out on every one of them because of work. I feel kinda bad for him.
The next day, we went shopping again. We went to Uniqlo (I think that's how it's spelled) and after spending an hour or so there, I finally bought a shirt because I felt bad for wandering the store for an hour and not buying anything. (nothing fits me in japan! Their clothes are made for skinny small people, not fat and stubby asianb americans like me! ARGH!!!! Definitely what I hate about Japan!) Still looking for speakers and a mini fan, we went to Cainz. It's kinda like home depot but without all the food and wood. I finally found speakers there. They were about 10 dollars, which wasn't bad at all and I found a mini fan! My host sibs somehow busted the one I bought in america so I had to look for a new one. Afterwards, my host mom and I went to a ramen shop and it was the best ramen I've ever had! Nothing at all like the packages stuff you find in america! There was also chili pepper (or their version of it) and I put so much in to make up for all the days in japan where I didn't have spicy food (except that one spicy chip I ate and it almost burned my tongue off and there was no water for me to wash it down!)
I am almost out of money. Well, spending money that I brought in cash with me. I've only $100 left in japanese money and $100 in american. I need to stop spending so much, but most of what I bought was stuff I needed. They have no fountains here and I find myself buying a bottle of water almost everyday because I keep misplacing mine. Japan rocks my socks, but it's also hard on my wallet, or rather, my change purse. I hate how they have to have brand stuff on EVERYTHING and that's what makes it freaking expensive. It was hard for me to find a pack of cheap bandaids without all the cartoon characters on it. Man, I kinda miss having cheap generic stuff.
Anywho, today, I'm doing nothing, but getting ready to head off to the station tomorrow. I must have packed, unpacked and repacked a gazillion times now. I'm trying to fit everything in my two suitcases, but it somehow doesn't fit and then it does, but then I remember that I have other things that need to be packed so the cycle continues. *sighs* I have so much crap now, wait until I come back to america. How the hell am I suppose to pack all the stuff that I'll buy later. yikes, I really don't wanna think about that! At least not now anyway.
Okies, this may be all that you get for now because I'm not sure if I can get any internet where I'm going next. If possible at the next place, I'll put up pictures. My host fam's lappy doesn't want to upload pics for me. Also, I tried calling home again with the new numbers that wang got me, but they don't work as well. It's definitely gotta be my host's fam's phone. It doesn't like americans. Racist bastard phone! I'll kill you!!! Clap! Clap! Chi! Chi! Clap! Clap! Bang! Bang! lol (If you know how to play Shooter, you'll understand that part. (^_~)) Okies, phone dead, Mai happy, that'll be it for now. Till then, ja ne! (^_^)
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