The animals in Japan sound different from the ones in America and I wonder… Is it merely culture shock of a sort? Different acoustics due to the houses cramped together? Or is it just Japan? I’ve heard crows, crickets, and cats, and they all sound different than the ones I’ve heard at home in America. I wish I could record soundbits or something so you guys could hear the difference, but for now, you’re just going to have to take my word for it.
Today’s classes lasted until 12:50pm, so I had a lot of free time before I headed home. A couple of my friends from the Seminar House (Jesse, Emma, and Kolbrun) met me in the CIE lounge. They brought their speaking partners along, and before I knew it, we had a huge circle of chatting buddies. Then Lia came with her speaking partner and some of his friends, and before we knew it, she had around 6 guys circling her and hanging on to her every word. Go Lia!
Today I rode the bus alone, without any guidance to or from the stops from Okaasan. I would just like to give a shout out to the nice Japanese couple who kept me from getting on the wrong bus today. You guys were patient and kind to a foreign woman. Thank you so much! Today I left earlier than I had yesterday and so I actually managed to find a seat instead of holding onto the hand grips and nearly falling whenever the bus lurched. Thank goodness.
I also sampled many different cuisines today. For breakfast, Okaasan made me pancakes. They were huge! I could barely finish the plate. Okaasan has been feeding me very big portions partially, I think, because I am a guest and an American. However, I keep on hoping she’ll feed me smaller portions—I don’t want her to overoblige me! Lunch was an adventure. I went to the 7-11 (yes, they even have those in Japan!), and picked up a foccachia-like bread called a (translated) “bacon-mayo-roll.” As it sounds, it was not the height of culinary creation. I will not buy this again. In my mouth, bacon and mayo only go together lettuce and tomatoes! Dinner was a traditional Japanese meal with lots of fish—picking out the bones was kinda hard! During this, Okaasan mentioned that she thinks that I can do Japanese cooking (despite being a gaijin [though this part was unsaid]), and that she’ll teach me, starting with onigiri (rice balls with filling). Success! I have successfully started my Japanese kitchen infiltration plan!
Written September 7, 2011.
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