1/16
Officially sick…again. I have a horrible cough that keeps me up at night and today is our final test for my Monday classes. It looks grim…but in my fever redden haze I decided to start doing art again. I want to make a portfolio for my time spent in Japan. Also I might try my hand a writing fiction again. I haven’t done it since high school. It just seems to be a time for picking up old habits again; the violin (haven’t done that since middle school), short fiction writing (haven’t done that since high school) and art (ok I’ve been doing that but I haven’t done anything big since coming to Japan.) I think I know why I’ve started all of these things. It is cold as a witch’s britches here and I think I just want an excuse not to go outside in the cold.
1/19
Instead of a test Murakami-sensei gave us a nice surprise. We all went to the library and selected a book in Japanese to try and translate into English to improve our reading skills and to show us how to deal with difficult kanji. I ended up choosing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Although the book is a bit higher than my current Japanese reading level, because I have read it before, it makes it an interesting challenge. My goal is to have translated the entire book to English before I leave Japan. (or at least buy it and take it back for practice) This is a great independent practice technique and I’m really glad she showed us.
1/20
Only one more day of school on Monday and then its Spring Break!! So Kim and I decided to go to Kizana again and see Miki-chan and the boys. It was really fun. One of the ladies, it was her birthday so a couple of the other bar patrons decided to buy her drinks. Eventually they started trying to speak to us in a Japanese/ English mix that didn’t always make sense. I did do a sketch of the woman and the two Japanese guys. They were hilarious although a bit confusing and had to understand at times. We biked back at about midnight. Only in Japan would that feel okay for two girls to bike home in the dead of night. Don’t get me wrong it’s not Heaven, but it sure is safer than Hell, CA.
It was fun as always athough, I did get a text from back home and my folks might be moving because of a job opportunity. Which means that it I’m going to conitnue my schooling at GSU, I will need to move either into the dorms or an apartemtent within walking distance of my campus. Jeez, go to Japan for a year and everything turns topsy turvy states side.
