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Published: February 25th 2008
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Lauren's b-day present, originally. But I'm replacing the green beads with blue because she likes turquoise better. I prefer to make stuff that I know people will wear. This post is mostly about posting pictures for everyone of happenings here since Christmas, Daniel's visit here and such. But I'll do some script update as well for good measure.
Well, as I mentioned before (at least I think), I'm on break now and will be so until mid April, I believe. So far, things have been pretty peaceful. Most people, including myself, took that first week off to sleep and share a few toasts to the end of the first semester. I went to a party at Doma Doma for one of the Swedes, Simon, soon after break started. It was great to kick back with friends and dip into bowls of food together around one big table. I left relatively early and saw a tanuki on my way back home with a few other people. I managed to keep it around to look at by throwing it most of the choco bread I bought at Seven Eleven and calling to it in Japanese. I never knew they were actually real until I saw one for myself! I put a picture of what they look like on here, but not of the one I saw. Liz, an Australian friend
Fuji from Kurume
Aimee and Lauren and I saw Mt. Fuji from the train station at home, but my camera didn't catch the mountain, unfortunately. Still pretty. here, got a great picture of it, and I'll have to post that sometime.
There was also a Farewell Party for those leaving the dorms after break is over and second semester begins. Apparently, students of Tokyo Gakugei can only live in Higashikurume dorms for 2 years. So many people's times were up. There was lots of food, and LOTS of drinking. I tend to be unusual enough when I'm sober, so I pretty much floated around drinking tea and mingling. I danced around with people (in a fashion highly reminiscent of the Elaine mixed with a retarded zombie), I stood in the middle of the smoker's pit, and eventually I went up to Lauren's room and played a few rounds of Smash Brothers on the Wii with Anthony and Lauren. I was in bed by about four in the morning. The whole thing made me realize just how long I've been here, and at the same time just how quickly the time has passed.
The weekend after the party, Liz and I went with Anthony to Narita Airport to help him with his luggage. He was only staying for a semester, and it was time for him
Sad Bear
Saw this guy after sushi in Kawagoe. He looked so very sad... to go back home. It was bittersweet to see him go. And boy if he didn't have the worst luck trying to get his ticket in order. In the end though, he made it safely home. He says he's coming back here to teach English for a while, so he wants to try and see us all in the summer before we have to leave. I hope that works out. It would be nice to see him again before we all go home.
Since things have begun to calm down here, the dorm seems very empty. Many people are out traveling. Many have moved out or are in the process of moving. Since late January, a small pile of stuff has accumulated in waves in the lobby. People leave there stuff there when moving out so that others can pick from the pile and have it for themselves. So far, I've managed to snag a wonderful set of curtains and a pair of speakers for my laptop. The curtains make the room look so much better than those terrible beige ones did, and the speakers add a nice boost of sound to the music I so often play. The
Fatty's Wrath
Bored one night, I snapped this pic and mailed it to Aimee. I laugh every time I see it. nice part is that I'll just end up leaving both here when I move out myself, so that someone else can use them.
There has been time spent gaming, some spent resting, some spent (currently) being a little sick (and what a time for it!), and some time spent exploring. Aimee took Lauren and Liz and I through Fujimidai about a week ago. It's a town near Ikebukuro, and it's got lots of little shops that might be big enough for 3 people to fit inside. We found a shop that Lauren called, spot-on, a Japanese version of Big Lots. Lots of great little things to look at. I ended up finding a bottle of peppermint essential oil, so I look forward to taking a couple of minty steams. Oh boy! Afterwards, we found a little bakery/cafe, bought some pastries, and had a midday snack together. It was a cool way to spend the day.
Very recently, there has actually been a sandstorm in Japan that blew in from China's deserts. I didn't go out because I was sick, but Aimee and Lauren both told me of coming back the first day of the storm with dirt-covered faces
Silly Oni
In celebration of the Bean Throwing Festival (basically kids thrown beans at "demons" for good luck in the new year), there were pics drawn by little kids in the local department store. This one was my favorite. and VERY itchy eyes. I went out later in the evening the first day to get emergency groceries, and even with a scarf tied tight around my nose and mouth, I still got little grains of sand in my eyes on the way to the store. It was pretty wild. I didn't know that happened in Japan. Aimee says it actually occurs yearly here, around March right before spring. "Spring" is a word that's music to my ears right about now!
Current plans for break include possibly traveling to the Kansai region for a week with a bunch of people (Kiyoto and a few other places), as well as going to the Ghibli Museum once more (this time with more people) on March 12th. I bought the tickets this evening, as a matter of fact. We'll get to spend the whole day there! I'm so excited to go back!
For now, I take my leave and will see you next post when I have something interesting to say.
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