So Valentine's Day has come and gone both in Japan and back home...so sad yet so sweet! I passed out my chocolates to friends, the RAs, otoosan and okaasan, and a couple teachers. Otoosan and okaasan kept saying thank you over and over again and gave me small Japanese chocolates and a rice cake. Then, this morning, okaasan informed me that she really liked my oreo bon bons. When I gave chocolate to the RAs, they said they would give me something in return and Kaito hugged Heather and me. My reading and writing teacher gave me a small note with English and Japanese saying thank you with a sucker attached to it, my speaking and listening teacher said they were oishii (delicious) and the TA for that class asked me how to make them. One friend said they died a little inside because of happiness. Overall, I think it turned out pretty well.
I was going to force myself to give some to a Japanese guy, and my roommate suggested this one guy we met; however, I saw all my friends on the same day and at the same time, so I passed out all my oreo bon bons, and the second I gave away my last one, the Japanese guy walked by. Oh well. I'm glad that my friends really enjoyed them! I really enjoyed making them! Maybe I'll make more later!
Anyway, yesterday, I went to the city hall with Veronica and Heather because Veronica and I needed to turn in our applications for alien registration. After we were done, we walked around and found a bookstore full of manga in Japanese...I would have gotten some, except for the small problem of me not knowing any Japanese. Later though, we found a used video game, book, DVD, CD, etc. store, and as soon as I saw the CDs, I looked all over for The Gazette. I saw CDs for a band called Gackt and knew The Gazette CDs were nearby, but I simply could not find them...I would walk around the store and then walk back to that section. Of course, it wasn't until a Japanese man stood in front of the CDs that I saw them.
The second my eyes read "Stacked Rubbish," I yelled, "Yes! OMGOSH, yes!" My yelling accompanied jumping before I lunged to grab "Stacked Rubbish," not caring what the other Japanese, who probably wouldn't do the same thing if they were in my place, thought. Despite my happiness, the Japanese man would not move for about five minutes, and when he left, I found another CD from The Gazette called "NIL." Together they were a little under 4,000 yen. Totally worth it! (Each has a DVD with one music video as well)
Yes, yesterday was good. Veronica, Heather, and I went back to Hirakata Station to find something to eat. They wanted crepes, but I wanted something more for a meal rather than dessert. So what did I get? Takoyaki! Why did I get it? Two of my favorite anime characters were obsessed with the stuff! Seems logical, right? Anyway, they were pretty good...fried balls that are mushy on the inside (the only bad part), and mine had small pieces of octopus. I love octopus!!!! The cook asked me if I wanted sauce, mayonnaise, or spices on top of it, but I said no. Maybe next time I'll try the sauce or spices...The only downside to eating the Takoyaki is that I stupidly ate almost all of one right away and scalded my mouth. It was so hot that I had tears coming out of my eyes. It was pretty bad, but what was worse was me trying to eat the Takoyaki with chopsticks. It was bigger than normal so I couldn't put a whole one in my mouth. Instead, I picked one up with my chopsticks and shook it until a piece broke off, then I would eat it.
Once, I tried to take a bite instead and got the awkward taking too big of a bite so that part of it hung out of my mouth situation. I tried to quickly get all of it into my mouth, which looked really awkward until the piece hanging out of my mouth fell back on the small box (hehheh). I then looked up to see if anyone saw me, and sure enough, there were two Japanese guys watching me and snickering. Look at that stupid gaijin. She doesn't know how to eat Takoyaki!
I have now decided that whenever I go out, I'm going to bring a fork with me...
On the way back to the university, I took off my glove so I could get my change out for the bus. After a while, I looked on my lap to see if I put my glove on my lap or in my bag. When I didn't see it on my lap, I assumed it was in my bag and got off the bus at the stop. Inside my bag, my glove was nowhere to be found, so I walked home with one glove off, and by the time I got back to the seminar house, my hand was burning.
But you know what? Losing a glove was a small price to pay for getting two The Gazette CDs. The thought of having them made me warm inside so I didn't even think about the cold. XD
And today, I bought new gloves at the 100 yen store. Yay!
Another thing that happened today makes me wish I was fluent in Japanese. I said Konichiwa to a Japanese woman, who then spoke to me in Japanese. She said Japanjin desu. So I said Amerikajin desu. Then she kept saying Nihongo (Japanese), and when I kept saying eh??? and shrugging because I didn't know what she was saying, she said Iie (no) and Gomen (excuse me or sorry) and then we smiled and parted. Now that I think about it, I think she was asking me if I knew Japanese...I wish! I believe one day I will be fluent...after many looooooooong years. X(
Also, I now have a list of places I want to go and things I want to do or see:
Osaka Castle
Fushimi Inari Shrine
The Gazette Concert in Tokyo (I don't think I'm going to find anyone to go with me since it's far and expensive)
Tokyo for part of spring break; Tokyo Disney
Mt. Fuji
To see my friend Sakura
Those are the main ones for now!
An update on classes:
They are going pretty well...I found out that my new friend from Germany is in every one of my classes so I normally sit by her in each one. Unfortunately, my morning classes and my afternoon classes normally have a 2-3 hour gap in between them, but I end up going to the computer lab in the CIE building to check my email, write my blogs, check facebook, and write my stories. I now have time to write! We'll see if anything comes from it at the end of the semester...
Well, hopefully I'll have an interesting story for next time. Toodles!
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