The first few days of school

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Today was the third day of class, and I feel like I'm starting to get into the rhythm of things. However, the one thing that I'm really having trouble getting used to is the commute to and from school every day. It really isn't that bad, actually. But a few days ago, I almost fainted when I found out it would take a little over an hour to get to and from school every day. Strange how my perspective changed so quickly. It seems like a lot of people around here have fairly long commutes, and don't seem to think much of it. Yuuji, one of the IES student volunteers, has a two hour commute every day. But that seems to be the norm here.
But there was another thing that I found very interesting. Yesterday, I went to the park with my host mother and her two small children, Yuzu and Koko. What I found at the park surprised me, because it was exactly what I would have expected at a park back in the united states. The toys were the same, and more surprising, the children were the same. They played the same kinds of games as American children do in playgrounds. For a moment, I almost forgot that I am on the opposite side of the globe, and when I remembered, I started wondering if children are universally similar, regardless of where they are born.

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