Bleh...

---

hey hey... so, rather bluntly, I got sick. =( poop. That's partly the reason why this wasn't published sooner as I had written it over the weekend... But mainly been really busy from school and life and everything. I honestly don't know what I've been busy with, but I just can't seem to find time so easily. I think I was just exhausted and my body decided (on the most convenient day of course... haha, I'm not that lucky) to shut down. But I hope I'm okay *cross fingers* - meaning nothing serious... Anyway, feeling a lil down to post any pics so promise to do that by the end of the week.



Valentine's and White Day
Valentines day is next week... wow. It's been so long since I've had a REAL valentines day that it's nearly depressing. Hehe, I'm just kidding Bobby. Anyway, in Japan, the ladies do not receive anything for Valentines Day. Only the guys get something - usually just a box of chocolate that costs around $15-40 from that special lady. BUT, a month later (March 14) is White Day. That means the exact opposite of Valentines Day. And I mean opposite! Not only do the ladies receive something, but it doesn't cost only $15... try something along the lines of ten times that. Usually jewelry or something fancy. Crazy nihonjin... BUT INTERESTING!
I'm considering buying Gen (family golden retriever) a bone or something since he can't really eat chocolate... I don't think I'd mind too much if he didn't give me anything for White Day. 😉 Later this week I'll post what Bobby sent me... such a sweetie!

Indirect Beyond Indirect
I thought I had prepared myself well enough for the people, but geez is it hard to tell sometimes. So basically, I realized that I have trouble telling whether the Japanese people (mainly my host family) are being nice and generous or whether they are dropping hints that I need to do something. For example, a few days ago it was getting a little late, but I was studying in the living room because I had two quizzes the next day. My host mother asked me, "Lexi, do you want to take a shower?" But what she really meant was, Lexi, are you going to take a shower now or may I? It took me a few days before I realized that she wanted to bocha but was asking me or telling me in a way that would make me feel accomodated .

Japanese Markets (shopping markets)
Wow! Recently I went grocery shopping with okaasan. I don't think I have ever seen so much authentic Japanese ingredients/groceries/food/goods all in one place. The grocery store was on the ground floor of a five story mall. On the floors - all separate floors: Toys R Us (did you know they partnered with McDonald's Japan?) and a Video Arcade, Women's Clothing (two floors of course), Men's Clothing and the grocery floor/store. There were so many food booths as well, all offering yummy looking Japanese delicacies and fancy obento! The shopping carts were tiny wiry things that i doubt I could even try to sit in. There were also baskets which you could carry by itself or you could put the basket in the cart so that your groceries wouldn't fall through to the floor. The small little carts were easy to maneuver and it felt like Japan rush hour traffic in the grocery aisles. The meat was all fresh, neatly packed and mostly all cut shabu shabu (quite thin) style. Very little hamburger and nearly no steak. There were mushrooms galore, few foreign vegetables and fruits (all at high prices), kimchee (made by Japanese because anywhere else is "dirty" - Koreans, don't feel hurt, think about the Japanese Beef Ban!), natto, and MOCHI!!! Haha, not only ready to eat mochi, but shabu shabu mochi - mochi cut thin and when eaten shabu shabu style is soft and gooey in less than a minute! WONDERFUL! INGENIUS! But that was really all I wanted to get to - was the shabu shabu mochi. YUM!
I guess the main reason why the shopping carts are so unbelieveably tiny is because there is such limited space in Japan. The typical Japanese mother will go grocery shopping EVERY DAY. Not only is this space efficient, but it is a healthier style of eating. Mostly everything is fresh; very little processed foods, canned goods and frozen foods. I understand the need for small/few items, but OMG, sooooo expensive! For example, the family will go through a bottle of dishwashing liquid in about two weeks. Not only is the bottle small, but the liquid is rather liquidy or watery so you need more (than American dishwashing liquid) to wash the same amount of dishes!



Well, I think I'm going to start a top ten for each week or something... Just so that I can really sum up my experiences... so here it goes. Some of my experiences living as a Japanese from the past two weeks:
1. Ofuro
2. Walking to school in the snow for the first time in my life (IT SNOWED SO MUCH!)
3. Ordering lunch food and purchasing hot drinks out of a vending machine (actually, buying everything from vending machines, even my textbooks!)
4. Being kissed everyday... by the family dog!!
5. Experiencing below 0 weather (that's celcius)
6. Being able to eat mochi EVERY DAY (okay well, maybe just every other day)
7. Being so concerned about being on time and sometimes even running to cross the street or catch the fast train (lexi, running and not even late?!?)
8. Registering as an Alien... 😉
9. Pocky, Pretz, senbei, temaki, HiChew, mochi, bottled green tea and milk tea are normal, everyday, cheap snacks
10. Having to wait for a good two and a half days for my hung clothes to completely dry after doing laundry because it's so cold

---

Comments

[Miaka975]

haha u:re havinghehe bleh i:m usinghost parent:s comp rite now but its sooo hard using the jpn keyboard... well newayz whenever u wantto meet up i:m free... i:m free every afternoon since my classes end around 1pm ,,since its only like a summer school course rite now ^^ well....um....how will u contact me....uhhhhh email me? i promiseto check it :p i think i have to write a message to my nihongo partner that i want to get a au phone instead of vodafone...everyone says that its too expensive ><

[Jon Ching]

Bleh?
Whey you tyoe bleh, is that the sound of vommit or just how you feel? I think onomatopoeias should come with captions.