April 2008


Often, I’m asked if I’m lonely without my family, or if I’ll be lonely when I go to France or back home. So, of course, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to think of the matter.

First, of course I miss my family when I’m away. But I don’t feel home-sick so much. My family is my family, and I know they are always there for me. So I don’t feel that being away makes me lonely. Same for my friends; I (will) miss being able to spend time with them, but they are my friends, and we should be able to stay friends despite distance.

Maybe I just feel that the people who are close to me, should support the dreams and goals I have. And that, even though it’s better to be together, such an issue shouldn’t hold our relationships back. Nor should we hold our friends/family back just because we want to be together. Things will work out in the end.

But, on the same topic, a friend who asked me this, said that he wished he had a strong heart. He didn’t want farewells to bother him.

But I think he should have said “cold heart” and not strong. I think that it takes more strength to care for people, and to foster deep feelings for people, than it does to not feel. Feeling is so much more difficult than not feeling at all.

It’s hard to remember sometimes, but definitely true.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that.

So, I’ve been crazy busy lately. And I attribute this primarily to the fact that my year abroad is coming to an end. My life as a Gaidai Student officially ends May 24th. (T.T)

The run-down of this past week:

  • Rock Rock (x2)
  • Part-time Job
  • Video Game day (lack of money)
  • Dinner with Kris
  • Bashir needs to crash
  • ZERO Dance-off (school competition)
  • Start studying French
  • Play pool at Ring
  • Dinner with Tsubasa
  • Studying Randomly
  • School/ Classes

That list is in no particular order really. But, see how much you can fit into a week! I challenge you! Actually, I probably could have done more if I had more money to spend. I usually start the week on friday, but i started a day early last week, and it was pretty much gone by sunday. >_< Fortunately, I’ve been smart enough to have food in my fridge for such events!

Next week (starting tomorrow/thurs) looks like:

  • school
  • Aquarium
  • Koji’s Birthday
  • Do my E. Asia Bus. Project
  • Karaoke with Tsubasa
  • Fushimi Inari with Sayaka
  • Round 1 (double date?)
  • Sweets Paradise with Ayumi
  • Meet up with Atsushi (科も知れない・・)
  • Takoyaki Party
  • Tigers’ Game (Baseball)

That is essentially in order, from tomorrow to next thurs. THough school and studying lasts throughout the week of course. And people want me to go out more than that!? Not to mention the people coming down from Tokyo that I wanna see (Hideki and Mitsu!).

Anyway, I already have plans going into May! And this makes me a little sad, as the end is near. And I’ll have to part with many good people. It also reminds me that I need to make travel arrangements (especially before the dollar falls anymore..). At least, I can stay until June, so I’m happy for that.

Right, so this has no point in mind, except that I want to say the people I know here are good people. And I want to keep in touch with them. But I’ll say that, probably a couple more times (^_~)

Later all.

So today I’ve been floating around TED Talks. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It was started in 1984, and the goal was to bring people from those three worlds together and see what can come from the experience.

Now, over four days, 50 speakers are each given the challenge to pass on the most important thing they can think of, in an 18-minute time slot. Since 1984, the conference has grown, and the annual conference in long beach sells out a year in advance. It’s impossible and expensive to attend, but then they give it all away for free through out the year.

It seems to me that a lot of people are thinking about education, and I’m definitely no exception to this. This makes sense as a common train of thought, since nearly everyone has some opinion on the way kids, and even adults, are taught. We’ve all gone through some version of an educational system, so we all have thoughts on what was good about it and what was bad.

This is a Talk given by Bill Strickland. Really, it speaks for itself, and if you have the time watch. If not, what you really need to know is that Mr. Strickland built a center for poor people in the poorest, roughest part of Pittsburgh. It’s a high quality life with gourmet food, art, and a fountain. And it saves the lives of kids and families that were otherwise given-up on, by teaching them.

I think education can be the medicine for most of the problems we face today. It can help prevent future issues that lead to the current state of the U.S. Economy. Maybe more people would have avoided the adjustable interest mortgage, knowing that, having started at the lowest possible point, it would have only become more expensive. It can help with issues of global warming and environmental consciousness, by making it something people are aware of.

But I think our (the U.S.) education system, and probably most other systems around the world, really need to go back and take a look at the way things are. When kids can graduate from high school without being able to read or complete simple math (addition and subtraction), we should see we have a problem.

And I think a lot of people do see it, but they’re afraid to say something. Because, probably the same thing that happened to me, happened to them. Back when I was a high school student (keep in mind I went to an elite high school that was supposed to be giving students an opportunity to advance even further than before), I said something to my counselor.

We were talking about ideas and all that, and I said that the way things were being run (i.e. the government) was wrong, because it wasn’t working. Too many people are dissatisfied with the policies coming out, people are struggling to support themselves, and money was going to the wrong places. But, her answer wasn’t to ask why I thought those things, or how I thought they could be improved. She asked me, “well, do you have a better idea? No? Then you can’t say that.”

Now, I have nothing against democracy or the U.S. government. But I do feel like it’s stagnated a bit while change has not, and we need to make up for that. That’s not the point, however. The point is that I think that’s the worst thing someone could have said. If we don’t question organizations and systems openly, we can’t expand them, or grow them, along with the growth and change of human society. Not having a better alternative to something that’s not working doesn’t mean what’s available is the best option. It just means we need to start thinking of how to accommodate the needs a society or group is currently facing.

And education should not only teach, but encourage us to expand on what we have. It should go so far as expect us to do better than we think we can. To use the opportunities we come upon to grow ourselves and leave an imprint on the world (*this relates to Johnny Bunko also). And education should prepare us for our future lives.

Many people would argue, “how can we be prepared for the future? You just said yourself things keep changing,” or something along those lines. The truth is, education can’t do that with the current format. We are leading more and more towards a society that focuses on memorizing formulas and passing tests. Our system is out of date, and needs to be re-worked.

If I were to design an educational system, and anyone who knows me should know I’ve given this a great deal of thought since the time I was in middle school, I would probably be criticized for being so outlandish, and throwing out standard procedures and all that.

We need to bring in other activities as a focus. I think it should be re-quired for students to take a dance or other physical class every day. Not Physical Education, but a course dedicated to say a sport, soccer, swimming. Personally, I think Dance should be re-quired by everyone from a young age. Because, for the rest of our lives, dance is a way to socialize, and to relax. And many people feel excluded from this realm of communication by the time they reach adulthood, because they stopped dancing.

It is also important to impart a consciousness on children. We need to be aware of our environments (both physical and social). We’ve started moving in the right directions with this, by requiring under-grads to take an ethics course. But this only goes so far. Why not start teaching philosophy as a part of the high school curriculum? If we teach the history of philosophy different forms of thought, and let the kids decide for themselves what is best, then I think they are more likely to take away something from it.

Of course, learning things such as math and English (in English speaking countries of course) will forever be important. But I think we should be able to start learning algebra in 6th grade, not 8th. And start moving up from there. We should learn the basics of writing a standard essay starting in middle school, not college. High school should be what it was once supposed to be: higher learning. High school should be the place we start finding the path we really enjoy. Students should be able to choose the things they focus on starting in high school.

It could be designed after the Associates in Arts (2-year) degree program. You start out taking a selection of introductory course into different fields: cooking, visual art, photography, cinematography, advanced sciences/maths, literature, etc. Of course, students need to take a certain number from outside their major interest, and complete a certain selection of required courses.

In a two semester per year program, my require courses would be: 3.5 years of philosophical history, and 0.5 years of philosophical seminar. At least one physical activity every year (meaning at least two semesters of the same activity). 4 years of foreign language – I need to further expand this idea later. While, I’m pretty confident most kids in middle school can operate a computer more efficiently than their parents, I also want to have a class to understand a computer.

The computer class would be either one or two semesters during the first year of high school. In this class, I want to start the kids from scratch, i.e. hardware. Because while they can operate the computer, most kids cannot build one, and do not know how they work. This class would go all the way through building a computer and mod-ing it to fit their needs.
Ideally, I want the kids to take these computers home after course completion, and use them for as long as they can. This solves a big problem for kids who can’t afford a computer, because first, they get the computer, and second, they will know how to build an update a computer themselves, and be able to stay cutting edge without having to buy a brand new computer.

I think my idea for a foreign language would be the most difficult. The first two years would have to get the student up to a relatively conversational level. Teach them what they would need to know to survive in a country that speaks their chosen language. The second two years, would then be any subject taught in a foreign language. To do this, each week would be something like 4 days of the subject, one day of vocabulary and grammar retaining to the subject.

Finally, I would require a reading list for outside of class in high school. Each student would be pared with a faculty adviser, and once a month, do a standard length essay on a different book. All students would be required the same reading list, so everyone will have the same foundation so far is literary accomplishment.

There are just a couple more points that need to be pointed out that haven’t fit in anywhere. First, education should be hands on. Sciences need to be taught in a more visual way, because learning Chemistry and Physics solely through use of a text book and lecture is impossible. Understanding Biology is impossible without examples. And this needs to start from the time we start learning.

Second, getting back to what Bill Strickland said, the environment should be as nice as possible. The buildings don’t have to be brand new, but they should be clean. Their should be flowers and sunlight and nature as much as possible. Lunch rooms should be inviting and lunch food should taste good! (This can be done at an economical price, just think outside the box!)

Finally, this needs to be just more than one school. This has to work within a community; different high schools specializing in different subjects or languages. And colleges will need to re-evaluate their programs as well. But that’s all in time, and it all would start with just one opportunity to open just one school.

So, thats the summary of my vision for education. Really, that’s the short version. I left out a lot of issues, including teacher issues (qualifications, pay, etc). Transportation issues. Finding the resources for all of my ideas. There are many things that would need to be addressed. But I’d love to be the person leading this type of mission. Improving education has been a passion of mine for a long time, and I hope I someday have the chance to put my hands in and do what I can.

The last thing I want to mention is something a friend of mine said to me. She said “Jes, you always have such big dreams.” I think that its important for everyone to have dreams, and if they can, to have big dreams. (Of course, the only thing stopping someone is his/her -self.) I think education should be a means to make reaching someone’s dreams possible.

Anyway, I hope this made someone think a little bit. And, if you see something you want to question, please do. I want to see this as clearly as possible.

So, it’s been 6 days and I’m sorry for this. And, the reason for this, (as you might guess) is networking!

I know everyone says and hears this all the time, but I’m really learning how much of a difference networking actually makes. Even though the official statement (in the States) is that everything is fair and based of merit, it’s just not true. Everything is based of who you know. As you might have read, I have an internship in the Agricultural Trade Office, that I was able to apply for based solely off the relationship I have with my teacher.

My ultimate goal is to do some type of work between Japan and the United States (and other potential countries). I really want to be able to expand my horizons by experience as much as I can within the world. So, you can imagine how great an opportunity this internship is for me; and I wouldn’t have had this opportunity had I not taken this particular professors class.

Another great opportunity, available through the same professor, was to go see 落語 <rakugo> in English. For those of you who don’t know, Rakugo is the traditional art of story telling in Japan. I learned tonight that it’s three hundred years old, and particularly difficult to get into. There are many different types of rakugo, but it traditional consists of a person wearing traditional kimono, a fan, and a towel. The story is told by one person who sits in seiza (traditional kneeling position).

Despite that it’s a three hundred year old art, the stories are actually pretty timeless. Even though it’s comedy, most of the stories aren’t about the punch line but the lessons to be learned. Often, the stories are interesting due to the journey it takes to get there, over just the punch line in the end.

Anyway, the 落語家 <rakugoka> was カナダ亭恋文(ラブレター) <CanadaTei Love Letter>. He’s (as you might have guessed) a foreigner, and he just became a professional <rakugoka> two weeks ago. He’s very interesting (i say interesting and I mean it in the Japanese 面白い way, and not the actually really boring so stay away way). Really, his performance was really exciting, and I’m especially glad that I was able to watch.

Of course, the end of the show at 8:30 was most definitely not the end of the evening, or shouldn’t have been for anyone interested in expanding their network (ha! you were wondering when that would show up weren’t you?!). So, the deal with tonight was that every month or so, the Apple Store – Shinsaibashi hosts a presentation Zen talk, led/put together by Garr Reynolds. Tonight was Rakugo in English.

After the presentation, there is the obligatory 二次会<nijikai>, which, transliterating the kanji, is second next meeting. But, really, its just the drinking party everyone goes to after an event to socialize and.. network! Tonight I met three professors, and learned of a way to go to grad school on a free ride in Japan! I also met カナダ亭恋文 and a few other students around.

On a side note, one of the guys working on the presentation is a grad student researching the ways that rakugo can be used in other contexts, particularly business communication. Really pretty interesting. I think I’ll follow up on that and see where it’s heading. I also was able to talk a lot in Japanese, which is always a bonus!

Anyway, the point is to get out (to quote Reynolds). You’re not going to meet anyone sitting at home, so go out and meet new people, even if you don’t really want to! Make connections, and don’t let them deteriorate.

(Actually, tonight I had no intention of going to the Nijikai, but I’m happy I did).

So really, this was a great little book! And, I want to write up the back cover description, but I gave the book back already. (T_T)

So, instead, I’ll copy and past of the website!

Book Cover

The 6 career secrets no one ever told you.

Meet Johnny Bunko. He’s probably a lot like you. He did what everybody – parents, teachers, counselors — told him to do. But now, stuck at a dead-end job, he’s begun to suspect that what he thought he knew is just plain wrong. One bizarre night, Johnny meets Diana, the unlikeliest career advisor he’s ever seen. Part Cameron Diaz, part Barbara Eden, she reveals to Johnny the six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is America’s first business book in the Japanese comic format known as manga – and the last career guide you’ll ever need.

Aren’t I sneaky! Anyway, I read this the other day, and I want like four copies of it. Partly because I want to be able to pass it on to my friends. But really, the six lessons are intuitive, and they resonate great with you! Much better than the conventional ways of thought (i.e. good to school → get good grades → get a decent job → pay your dues → get a better job).

This will be the best $10 and the best 60 minutes (if you read slow) you ever spent! The story is funny, but gets the lessons across seriously enough. Seriously, Diana (nymph/gene/fairy person) is pretty funny, and Johnny is pretty typical I think.

I know its in manga (japanese comic) form, but don’t discredit it based on that. Consumers have less and less time to actually sit down and read, so why not put something in picture form? It’s easier for the majority of people to translate the information into brain code if it’s a picture, and fewer words take less time to read.

Plus, it’s just all around an enjoyable book. So go Buy It, read it, and pass it on.

Lessons:

  1. There is NO Plan!!!
  2. Think Strengths, NOT Weaknesses
  3. Persistence trumps Talent
  4. Make EXCELLENT Mistakes
  5. It’s not about YOU
  6. Leave an imprint

I won’t do it justice by explaining, so watch the lecture (when you have time), and go order the book.This presentation was done by Garr Reynolds. You can also see it on his website, Presentation Zen.

Also, here’s an article from Business Week.

(I read it slow, fyi! I wanted to enjoy it all the way!)

So, I have the Ex-word SW9400. It’ s pretty close to the newest dictionary (will hereby be known as jisho if it’s electronic) you can get (or at least it was when I bought it in august). And, it’s the handiest tool I could buy for living in a foreign country.

It’s really great because I don’t have to use a paper dictionary (you all know I love books, but even I don’t want to carry dictionaries with me everywhere). You can type in kanji, kana, or english.

My problem is that my jisho is only japanese an english. I intended to add other languages to it, but I didn’t specify when I asked that I wanted the other languages to also be connected to english. So, according to the electronics store in Nanba, they don’t make cards for the other languages into english!! They only way you can get them is to buy a dictionary that already has it!

And since I’m going to study in France for 6 weeks, I’d really like french-english dictionaries! Going from french to japanese to english (and reverse order) is waaaay to めんどくさい <troublesome>! I’m still researching the situation, but it looks like all I can do is to buy a new jisho with what I want on it. I think it would be worth it to do so, but I’d rather just be able to add the dictionary to the jisho I already have!

I’ll update you all on this situation when it progresses.

ミクシィは久しぶりなったね。最近はめっちゃ忙しかったんから・・・

4月3日は誕生日だった!ぴかぴか(新しい)バースデー

同じ年の人が、だいてい自分の誕生日が嫌いって。年を取りたくないからだって。

意外に、誕生日が大好きやで!アメリカには一週間に祝える。家族と友達も別々に集まらない訳には行けないから・・・ほっとした顔

今年に誕生日は木曜日になった。やから、木曜の夜にホストファミリーと一緒に晩御飯を食べられた!くみこさんは私のためにたくさんおいしい食べ物を作った。ハート達(複数ハート) でも、食べつぎった・・・
食べた後で、プレゼントをもらった!プレゼントぴかぴか(新しい)くみこさんとこうじさんから、小さいバラ科とChanelという口紅ももらった。Maryちゃんがあめとおいしいケーキをくれた!バースデー・カードにめっちゃいい話を書いてくれた!本間にうれしくなった!
くみこさんはめっちゃおいしくて、きれいだったケーキを作った。ショートケー本間においしかた!

金曜日に3人と一緒に M’s Cafeで食べて、RINGに行った。(RINGはカラオケやビリヤードを出来る所や。)るんるんムードめっちゃ面白かった!1時ぐらい、酔っ払っているサラリーマンが私に「一緒にやりたい」ってた。やから、(私の友達と、彼の友達と)7人になった。でも、皆はやり方が知らなかったから4人と遊んだ。後一人は皆より酔っ払っていた。その人が酒のせいで話せなかった。
彼は私の順番にやりたい顔してたから、どぞって。でも、そのひは自分で出来なかったから友達にそだんに行った。そして、私はういた。彼 を怒らせた。次回、同じ事になった。3回に、たまを入らなかったから、彼は友達に怒りたんだった。彼の友達の腰をキゥーでなぐった!キューが2本にこわれ た。ふらふら
そして、マンにジャーにけんかしてみった。彼がさいふを見つけられないけど、マンにジャーが「キューを払いなさい」ってから。後で、カラオケの部屋に帰りって、払った。その事が終わると思ったけど、すぐにけいさつは4人着いた。天秤座
その時ぐらい、時間になくなったから、帰った。

土曜日も楽しかったよ!初めは、心斎橋にあいこさんと会った!メックシケン料理なレストランにいった。安くて、おいしたった!そして、買い物した。かっこいなスラックスが買いたかったけど、少しい小さいつぎった。
5時半にさやかちゃんと枚方市に付いて行った。枚方市駅の中に、オムライスの店で食べた! めッちゃおいしかった!(食べ物はおいしいの傾向をあるやなうれしい顔) すぐに、RINGに行った。大きい部屋にカラオケを歌ってた。達也と直人とビリヤードも出きった・
2時ぐらい帰った。KrisとAmyが、私のアパートに寝た。朝にフレンチトーストを作って、食べた!後に、Becoming Janeという映画を見た。夜に和男と会った!楽しかった。

来た友達にありがとうを言いたい。友達と家族のおかげで、うれしくなった。ハート達(複数ハート)

FRIDAY
So, I didn’t expect it, but Friday was also pretty eventful! I finally was able to get my bicycle back, thanks to Yumi! Afterword, I met with Tsubasa at the cafe. It was the first time that we were able to have a conversation in Japanese (mainly because we were both busy a lot, and didn’t get to see each other). It was a really good experience for me. At about 6p, we met Kris at the station, and headed to M’s Cafe (my new favorite – it’s in Hirakata-shi near VIVRE). Shortly after, Makiko arrived, and we had dinner. M’s Cafe is italian, and they make really good pasta, and (on Kris’s word) sandwiches!

After finishing dinner and conversing for a couple hours, we decided to head to RING for some karaoke. But, as I am now legal in Japan, we wanted to get some alcohol. So Kris and I split a 400¥ bottle of Nihon-shu and mixed our own drinks through the drink bar. Really, it wasn’t a lot. Around 11, Makiko had to catch the train home, and the rest of us decided to switch to pool! This was a lot of fun, and Tsubasa learned pretty fast. Wade showed up, and Kris left at 12:30.

While Tsubasa and Wade took a break to play table tennis, I practiced pool (because 1) i’m not especially decent at table tennis, and 2) I wanted a chance to practice some more difficult shots). At this point, a drunk salary man starts cheering for me every time I make a good shot. And then he asked if his friends could join and play with us. So they all came, but it didn’t last long, because with my friends that made 7 people on one table. After a while, it dwindled down to two people per team, plus one extraordinarily drunk guy who wouldn’t talk due to his impairment (officially on my team).

Well, I was about to shoot, but he wanted to. So I said go ahead, but he couldn’t shoot without being told what to do by his friend, and he went to ask. The rest told me to shoot, so I did, and he saw and motioned for me to stop so he could have the next shot (since I sunk it). So I backed off and he went to get his friend again; of course I took the shot while he was trying to convince his friend. And then the third shot, which I missed. At this point, he got mad at his friend and hit him over the back with the que, causing the que to break!

Of course, the staff at the RING were mad, and wanted him to pay. He had a hard time understanding this, and got annoyed when he couldn’t find his wallet. So, he tried to fight the staff! He was wicked drunk, and obviously didn’t know how to fight, but to be safe I made Tsubasa back off a bit more with me. No use getting into a fight for no reason. At about this point, one of his friends stepped in and helped out. The guy paid for the que, and went back to his Karaoke room. This looked like the end of everything, and I was surprised because they were still allowed to be there. But, then, as we were playing out the rest of our time, four police officers arrived! They talked with the staff and the salary men group, and eventually left. Then our time was up, so we left too.

And that was Friday.

Saturday

To start out Sat., I went to Shinsaibashi to have lunch and shop with Aiko! We went to this really good Mexican restaurant, that I’d really like to go back to. Probably I will sometime before school’s over. (Actually, already an idea forming!). Anyway, that was really good food. I had enchiladas.

Afterword, we went to Zara and whatever other stores caught our interest between Shinsaibashi and Nanba Parks. I was looking for some clothes that would be appropriate to wear to my new internship. And Aiko wanted to get another suit for work. She found a really nice gray pinstripe. I found a couple shirts, but I think I need a pair of brown dress pants (so I don’t have to wear my black boots all the time), and a few more shorts. But, as long as I wear something high than the level of Jeans, I should be fine.

At 5:30, I met Sayaka to head back to Hirakata-shi, to meet some friends for dinner. I accidentally planned a party where I was the common denominator. So we had 8 people for dinner. And we went to my favorite オムライス (omu-rice) place. Of course, I have great taste in food, and a lot of people were surprised that where I went was really good; normally one wouldn’t think of オムライス as a nicer meal, but at this place it was!

After dinner, we went to RING! (Do you see the pattern here?) Two more people joined us going in, so we started with 10 people for karaoke. Which meant we got the big room. Through-out the night, different people came and went, and it was a really good time. I had a lot of fun, and I got to play pool with Tatsuya and Naoto too! Naoto looks like he’s really strong, and Tatsuya is definitely above average in ability. So I hope I can go play with those guys again soon!

Amy and Kris stayed the night at my house since it was late and all.

Sunday

We got up pretty late, but Amy and I woke up and slept off and on from about 7 (my alarm went off ^^;). My neighbor moved out, and apparently, my apartment company decided Sunday starting around 6:30a (?) would be the best possible time to clean the apartment. This included scrubbing the wall connected to my apartment for something like 4 hours….

Anyway, we made (and by we I mean I cooked and they watched) French Toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast. I was actually surprised that they didn’t make it the same way, since I thought it was standard.

1) For 6 pieces of bread, scramble 4 eggs with a little bit of milk until fluffy
2) Heat the pan just above medium and add a little bit of margarine to avoid sticking (every couple pieces of bread)
3) Coat both sides of bread in scrambled egg, and transfer into pan
4) Dust bread with sugar and cinnamon; flip and repeat (before the egg cooks all the way
5) When one side is lightly browned, flip and repeat.
* Repeat until you run out of bread

Add a couple eggs to already scrambled ones and re-scramble to have scrambled eggs as a side. Make sure to wait until the pan cools to medium low before cooking them. Then push the cooked egg to the center until its no longer liquid. Try not to let it form as one piece by not letting it sit on the same spot for too long.

And there you have french toast and scrambled eggs.

After eating, we watched “Becoming Jane.” It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I liked it.

Sunday Night

I finally met up with ‘K’ who I was supposed to go out with forever ago. He asked me to help him with English, which I did. Then, he wanted to go relax, and so he treated me to dinner and drinks at a nice restaurant! I had a good time, so I hope I can go out with him again soon. :)

So, yesterday was my Birthday! It’s kind of funny, because most of my friends complain that they are getting old on their birthdays. This is silly, because 1) they are, typically, most definitely not old, and 2) because they clearly want to secretly enjoy that it’s their birthday. But, anyway, I love my birthday, (probably this is supported by the fact my family kind of does a birthday week…). And I definitely don’t mind getting older. I want to enjoy each part of my life, and for that, I have to keep “growing-up” and going through different stages.

Anyway, this was a pretty exciting day for me. I had a lunch interview with the ATO – Osaka (the agricultural trade office), and I’ve been hired. So I start my internship next week. I was so nervous before, because I had never had a lunch interview before, and I had never had an interview for such a job before (only small stuff really). But it wasn’y exactly what I expected. We had an interview first, and then went to lunch.

But the point is I got the position!!!

At school, I was able to enjoy the Happy Birthday comments (and enjoy these I do!). As well as a very loud rendition of Happy Birthday in the CIE lounge. Embarrassing though it was, it made me happy. :)

At night I went to my host-family’s (llast semester) for a birthday dinner! This was sooooo good. My host mom is a great cook. We had ceremonial rice with red-beans in them, sashimi salad, niku-jagga (since I like it), and tempura. It was great. And, she made a cake! It looked store bought! It was a white cake with chocolate cream frosting (that I’m now eating for breakfast ^_^;).

They also gave me some nice presents! I received a minuter rose plant for my apartment, a nice shade of chanel lipstick, candy, and a traditional cake thing! The card from them is really cute too! It sings the happy birthday tune!

Still waiting on the package from my Mom. It came yesterday while I was in class, so they’re trying again this morning. And Dad sent a nice card!

Yay for Birthdays!!!!

~~~~To be continued on Saturday Night~~~~

So today wasn’t an overly exceptional day. I was tired and really wanted to sleep instead of go to Aikido class. But I missed the last few classes (a cold and mid-terms), so I needed to go, for my body and my image within the dojo.

I’m really glad I did go. I think this is the first class I participated in everything that went on instead of doing extra ukemi (rolls/falls) practice. Every exercise, I’d start of not understanding. But, by the end of the round of practice, I’d be able to complete the technique at a reasonable speed! And, I was even able to be instructed in Japanese, which was particularly exciting for me.

I did a lot of work with Ayano. She’s a cute lady, maybe early 40s? I’m not really sure, but I was paired with her maybe three or four times. I like her, because she tried to explain to me what I was doing wrong, and the, for lack of a better word, aura didn’t feel tense or impatient when I was beginning to learn the technique.

This class, I really felt a lot better about my technique. I still suck by a lot of means, but I am improving, and that’s what matters to me. To think that I almost didn’t go to class because I have a quiz tomorrow and an interview for a big Internship (that I’m so nervous for that I catch my-self shaking a bit). But after class I couldn’t stop smiling because I was happy I went.

I also talked to some of the women in the class for the first time today. I guess they weren’t sure of my Japanese and all that. It’s shaky, but I can understand others, and get my point across most of the time. So I feel like I’m included a little more in the group. There was also another guy, I think his name was Noebu, who looked new to me, but after word I found that it’s just been a long time for him. It works out that we’re at about the same level. We talked a bit after about snorkeling and catching fish.

Overall, I moved further into the group and progressed my ability, so it was an exceptionally good aikido day! Another plus is I’m more relaxed that I was. I really can’t go long without some form of M.A. practice, or I get too tense.