And then today..

And then what happeend today?
I had schooool. First Current English (interesting, we're researching the Olympics and stuff), then Gym (volleyball! UBER FUN! :DDD I love volleyball seriously), then English Grammar (boooooring), Japanese history (exhaaaaaausting, something about the different rankings of Buddha statues or something and then the teacher started going on about some woman he met in Kyoto...), LUNCH (best class of the day, played volleyball with a bunch of people in the gym), then two hours of FREE PERIODS because the Spanish teacher wasn't here today. So that was a really fun afternoon. Then I saw Laurent, and we threw a frisbee around at the Hamamatsu Castle Park. So that was really fun.
And then I ran into some kendo friends, that was fun and interesting.
Then I came home. And ate.
And listend to a CD a friend at school (Sai-kun) lent me... but actually did that before eating.
And Then I also started packing for when my family comes and we go sightseeing together...
Tomorrow I have Rotaryy meeting ugghhhh boring and then I'm going hanging out downtown with two former classmates, Taka and Ikean after school :).
Oh yay but I have calligraphy class with Saka-chan, yay... and Rotary means i don't have to go to Japanese history class, which is seriously the bane of my existence, because I feel like I should pay attention cuz it's like a cultural experienec blah blah, but it's so difficult and I just sit there staring at the clock ahah.
I get to ride a bullet train on Friday, so excited, I've been on like 23432 bullet trains but I can never get tired of it haha.

久しぶり

Note-- I was actually supposed to publish this yesterday, but I had a problem with the computer, so I'm publishing it now. So it's all a day old haha.


Okay, I haven't done this in literally a month. So what's been going on? Basically everything.
Last week was the Hamamatsu Festival; that was really amazing. In the morning, I went to go see the kites; and at night I joined the parades and stuff downtown and then later on in my neighborhood.
I'm at school now, waiting for Shaki, then we're gonna go downtown to meet Laurent (who's back in Japan, btw), and then later Fuyu and Sakiko Maria, and we're gonna have dinner together, or play frisbee at the castle, or I don'T know what.
Today we had earthquake information session at school.
During English class, we had to do these exercises summarizing long paragraphs and I felt so depressed because my English sounded so stupid and there are so many things I forget how to say and/or do.
We had Jpaanese history class today; the only thing I got out of that was about some guy who had four images of the Buddha on his head and then he zapped away arrows with them. Oh, Japan...
Last weekend, my host family and I went to seriously the nicest hotel in the world's Italian restaurant. Haha it was so much fun! I met the chef, from Italy, and he speak Italian, Japanese, Spanish, French, and English, all fluently. I was so jealous. Even though he could speak English, for some reason I was inspired to speak to him in French, and so we were speaking in French for a while, and he had a really Italian accent haha.
So school is really fun, actually really really fun. Classes are so boring, like anywhere else, but it's just fun begin here with everyone. It's so relaxed compared to my American school; I'm so glad I got placed at this school, it's famous for being the least strict school in basically the country.
My school's festival is coming up soon (Jun 7, 8), and so we made a video as part of our class exhibition about stress, we made it yesterday, and it was really fun!
Ugh I'm serious I don't speak anything at all right now... I'm going to have to attend like ESL classes in the usa, I'm serious. Or at least brush on New Jersey mannerisms and things like that, cuz theyve all gone down the drain haha.
And my mother, brother, and sister are coming to Japan this Friday, for three weeks. That should be interesting...
O I'm really hungry. I really want to eat ramen. I'm really bored. Why is Shaki's school so far from mine?
Blha blah blah blah blah.

School chanto started up again

So school started up again this week. I am a third grader. (top, senior class). So exciting!
Today we actually started classes. During the first literature class, the teacher was just rambling on and on and talking about what my school was like for like 9 hours when he went there. Then he put me on the spot (I HATE when teachers do this to me...) and he starts asking my classmates questions about me at the very end of class. So he asks someone "Does that kid over there speak Japanese?" And she's like "Yeah, he understands alot." Then he starts asking them questions about where I'm from, etc. Haha the way he asked what my name was, "Dewa, nani kun?" OK. Nevermind, y'all didn't find that funny. I start answering the questions; he starts getting really embaressed because he felt bad that he wasn't asking me directly, I think. Then he comes up to me and he's like "Did you understand everything I just said in the last hour?" And I was like "Um, yeah. Like 99%" (Which is the truth) And then like flipped with excitement. Hahha the teachers at my school are like in love with me.
Then I started calligraphy class! But we didn't actually do calligraphy. Just listened to the teacher babble for two hours. He's absolutely hilarious. He looks just like a yakuza (Japanese mafioso). So someone was like "Sensee! Have you ever been taken into care by the police?" (haha that sounds so awkward in English; I don't speak English no more) and he's like "Yes. Sometimes. Yes." His hair is a bit purple and he's so cool haha. He's on the All Country Japanese Classics Board (wow that sounds so weird in English. But it's really an amazing thing.) I can't wait to start calligraphy. I have lots of friends in that class so I'm pretty excited. Especially 'cuz the teacher is super chill.
Other classes I'll be taking this semester are: Spanish, Foreign Culture (this class is so amazing. We watch Southpark and Monty Python etc.), Current English, etc etc I don't remember what else.
Um what else... nothing really amazing. I had a Rotary function tonight. Super boring. Tomorrow night Rotary is taking me out to teppanyaki. Don't even ask me how to say that in English. Um. Um. Um. It's when the cook grills steak right in front of your eyes. Soooo good.

Goooooooooooo song:



Oh. And I just wanted to say something about the Olympic Torch. I totally agree that Tibet should be free, blah blah blah. I totally agree with the protestors' message. However, I think it's disgustly disrespectful to the athlethes who have worked soooooo hard to be in the Olympics. And the Olympics are supposed to foster shinzen (good will) and heiwa (peace). So I think taking advantage of the Olympics like that to spread your message grossly ugh nvm I can't speak English. But I think they should def. protest all they want; they really should. Just don't drag the Olympics into it. That's my two cents.

Back at the Hiranos

So I'm back at the Hiranos, my first host family. On Saturday, the Horiuchis took me to see the cherry blossoms at Hamamatsu Castle. That was really, really pretty. T
I went to the Hiranos house and they got me into the happi, which is the traditional festival outfit. The Hamamatsu Festival is in less than one month!
Sunday Melina came to visit Hamamatsu. So we had a Canadian-American-Japanese friendship day. Fun times.
Today I went out to a ramen shop with some classmates after school.
It was good.

Snowboarding toka

I seriously need to work on updating this thing. So last week was the snowboard trip; that was really fun. It was my first time snowboarding and I fell 50,000 times and I hurt so much but it was still really, really fun!
We came back on Monday. Tuesday I hung out with Fuyu. Yesterday I did nothing. Today I had Rotary. Tomorrow I'm hanging out with Shaki and Fuyu, but I have a half day at school. Then Saturday is nothing, yet. Then Sunday I'm going to Yokohama with my first host family to help my host sister move into her college apartment!
Oh, and the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom! Yay!

Last Day of School!

Wednesday was the last day of school! So we had our school-closing ceremony and then I went downtown to hang out with Fuyu and Shaki. We ate Freshness Burger, of course.
When the new year starts in April, I will become a third-year student. It's kind of interesting, because I started as a first-year student. Then my first-year class went to New Zealand for a month, so I got transfered to a second-year class. Then I was able to choose whether I stay with that class, so I chose to stay with them. So now I will become a third year student. So basically I've gone through all three years of Japanese high school in 11 months. Pretty amazing.
So in about two hours, I'm leaving for Rotary Ski/Snowboard trip. We're going with an international Catholic school in Tokyo. On Easter weekend. Sacriligious much. I can't spell.

Air

The weather is getting gradually warmer, and with it I feel change in the air. Ah hahahah that sounds so corny and I've always wanted to say it. But it's true. Honestly, cold weather is the most odious thing in the world. Now it's getting warmer and I feel a lot better, both inside and outside. I'm trying to put all the horrible stuff that happened recently behind. And trying to move forward, and it's working rather well, if I do say so myself.
Today I came home, after a half day, and I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I did nothing. Of course, I have lots of free time, when I read a book, or watch TV, or go on the computer. But today I just opened the window, put on some music, and lay down on my futon. Something I used to do all the time back home, but kinda got outta of the practice of doing here (well not my futon in the USA, my bed.) Then I fell asleep for about thirty minutes to Vivaldi and Brazilian bossa nova. It felt really good.
Ok, tomorrow is no school!