Whoa, sorry, it's been ages since I've updated. Things have been a wee bit different since the holidays - I think my host family are feeling a bit sick of me, and I've just been trying not to step on too many toes, so... internet use is a bit limited now. I think the hardest part of this exchange is living with a whole different family; you just can't really ever fit in properly. It's interesting, but... tricky. You get really angry sometimes, and just feel like saying 'man, I'll tell you what you can do with your chopsticks...' But sorry. I'll try to keep this as sweet and happy as possible. =) Anyway, this is going to have to be fast. So, New Year was cool. On New Year's eve, we ate a special platter ... read more

New Year's Eve in Japan, and the supermarkets are INSANE. I think I know what culture shock feels like now - when you're squished against a trolley stand, surrounded by the scent of fish and soba, hearing the shop assistants yelling 'welcome' in rapid Japanese every 5 seconds, the only foreigner in a supermarket absolutely packed with Japanese people.... you kind of feel like curling up into a ball and hiding in a corner. Although, like I said, I was squished against a trolley stand, which was kind of a corner.... But GAH. Who knew going to the supermarket would be such an overwhelming experience? I was like a weird, tall, blonde fish in the sea of Japanese. Apparently everything is bigger in New Zealand - I have to stoop down to talk to people here, ... read more

So that's Christmas for another year. Although, in Japan, 'Christmas' was very unlike the Christmas back home. My host sister went to school to study (yes, school, on Christmas day), my host parents were working. I was like, what a bunch of Grinches! But fair enough, Christmas just isn't a big deal here. They do have some Christmas customs though - apparently eating KFC is one of these. On Christmas Eve, we drove past a KFC takeout place, and there was a line so long that it went out of the shop and all the way onto the street. So I wasn't completely surprised when, for tea tonight, there was a familiar looking red and white box containing pieces of 'original recipe' chicken on the table. Merry Christmas, indeed. After tea we had a very beautifully ... read more

So, I'm officially on Winter Vacation - my second in a year! Two weeks of holidays. It doesn't look like I'll be at school for Christmas after all, thank goodness. It's strange though, having TWO winters. It is now very, very cold. I'm regretting saying that Dunedin is colder, because it SO is not. I've been seeing some of the punky Japanese girls walking around in those teeny skirts, and it makes me feel cold just looking at them... I'm such a nana. =) Anyway, about the octopus. It wasn't exactly fish and chips. It was chewy. And you could feel the little ring things that are on the tentacles in your mouth. It didn't have a flavour really, but then, it's octopus - it's not meant to taste like lollies. But I ate it, and ... read more

I did indeed. And they weren't really the fountains of wonder and beauty I was imagining. It was just a nasty big squirt. It was an 'uplifting' experience though... only because I jumped about a foot high when it actually happened. I wasn't expecting it - first the loo made this weird, mechanical noise (I was like, OMG my host family will totally hear and know what I'm doing!!). Then I got a cold, wet, surprise. Ewww. Question - should I brave the Japanese squat toilets at school? What else have I been doing? I had a Japanese pizza. It was like someone vommed a whole week's worth of meals on the one pizza - there was crab, oysters, seaweed, chicken, corn, cheese, tomato... practically everything. It was a bit interesting. Otherwise, I've been enjoying the ... read more

First of all, thanks for the comments everyone - they make me happy. =D And it's nice to read some proper English. As opposed to, 'you may not a visit a porno shop or the porno theatre or the porno bar'. That example wasn't made up. That was one of the rules I had to sign in the school contract. I was actually shaking trying to hold back the laughter. The salsa class last night... hilarious. Picture me, a really pale, blonde, 16 year old,　at a Japanese gym, ｉｎ　ａｍｏｎｇｓｔ　ａ　ｌａｒｇｅ　ｇｒｏｕｐ　ｏｆ　ｍｉｄｄｌｅ－ａｇｅｄ　Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ　ｗｏｍｅｎ，　ｔｏｔａｌｌｙ　ｓｈａｋｉｎｇ　ｉｔ．　Ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｏｎｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｓｔ　ｅｍｂａｒｒａｓｓｉｎｇ　ｂｕｔ　ｈｉｌａｒｉｏｕｓ　ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｄｏｎｅ�... read more

So, today was school. It was scary at first - we held to do a 'self introduction' in Japanese to the staffroom, and were then taken to our form class - each of us were in different formclasses. So, I walk in the door, and the whole class screams. Like I have two heads or something. And then they all started laughing and waving. But I've found that they're all very friendly, keen to get to know you, and very cute (although slightly scatty). I was asked if I have a boyfriend, and that seemed to be a very important question - the whole class waited for the answer, and probably wanted to hear that I had like, 6 boyfriends and was secretly married or something. But alas... The uniform is unusual. The shirt is quite ... read more

I made it! I tackled the Auckland airport, the 11 hour flight, Kansai airport (where I was finger-printed, wow!), and the shinkansen to Hiroshimna. The shinkansen was an absolute killer. It was about 1am NZ time, and I just wanted to sleep, but couldn't risk missing the right stop (obviously). First impressions of Japan... it has an interesting smell. The people seem to know exactly what they're doing, where they're going - they all have a definite purpose. Not many smiles or colours, really. Not many blonde people either. I have only seen one so far, and that's when I'm looking in the mirror. Mwahaha. But I'm really enjoying it - have been to a shopping mall and Hiroshima zoo so far. Totemo tanshikatta! The food is slightly difficult to deal with, and I get extremely ... read more