Friends, Thai Massages, & Miso Soup

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Verse of the Day:
Never abandon a friend- either yours or your father's. Then in your time of need, you won't have to ask your relatives for assistance. It is better to go to a neighbor than to a relative who lives far away. ~Proverbs 27:10

Journal:
There are three parts of today that simply must be shared; a new friend, Thai massages, and miso soup. Firstly, friends. I chose the verse above because today I made a friend. My new roomate is Autumn. I believe she and I will get along fantastically. She has acted as my tour guide, etiquette and manners guru, and friend. In fact, it was her idea to go to an authentic japanese restaurant and a Thai Massage Parlour to de-stress!
At the restaurant everything looked delicious (oishi)! After looking at the life size photos, the Japanese menu with photos, and the English menu with photos, I finally ordered a salmon plate with rice, miso soup, and a seaweed dish. It not only looked delicious, it was! I also tasted the dish that Autumn ordered, it had eggplant served with the same sauce as Yuu sushi in Los Angeles- love to Josh for dinner dates at Yuu! Along with the meal I learned a few new words, I learned that you are never to talk while your chopsticks are moving, I learned that it is impossible to eat miso soup with chopsticks- therefore you must slurp, and I learned that Japanese serve water in very small water glasses.
After spending some time walking, shopping, and dining we walked into the Traditional Thai Massage Parlour. We were ushered to take a seat on one of the couches and were brought cups of tea. After a few minutes to cool down, our rooms were prepared. We were taken to adjoining curtained rooms, where they began by washing our feet. Then, the women spent an hour massaging almost every muscle. It felt great! I even tried to put everything out of my mind and meditate- however, I wasn't terribly successful. After the massage they seated us at the couches again and brought us warm tea & rice cakes. YUM!

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