Yesterday was pretty boring, just basic orientation and things we need to consider during our stay in Japan. Today was a little more fun. In the morning and afternoon it was more and more orientation stuff, including safety and immigration. I also found out that I have been accepted into the Sumi-e (ink brush painting) course, which really makes me excited.
The afternoon was more fun. Mita and I went to Fresco, the cheapest supermarket around where we stocked up on food. Why did we stock up on food? Simple. There's a typhoon coming our way. Wikipedia says that "a typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean," which basically means a lot of rain and wind. Unfortunately, this means that the trip to Kyoto tomorrow is canceled, and they're not planning on rescheduling it. This really bums me out because from the moment I stepped foot on Japanese soil (and even before then), I wanted to go to Kyoto. But Mother Nature cares for no one's hopes and dreams. I guess I'll just have to go on my own someday in the near future.
Today I also found out about my host family. My host mother's name is Hideko, and she's 68 years old and lives alone. I admit, I was kinda hoping for a family with kids, but I'm super eager to bond with her since she's from the older generation and (I'm guessing) knows a lot about traditional Japanese cooking. Hopefully she has grandkids or kids in her neighborhood. Her house is about 23 minutes from campus using a combination of buses and walking. I'm mostly worried about how I'm going to get all my suitcases over. I've got three of them and they're all pretty big. She's also a big fan of cooking, traveling, and watching films; since I like all of those as well, I'm hopeful we'll get along well. She knows some English and wants to have English conversations, but is also willing to teach me about "Japanese culture, customs and so on." I get to call her お母さん, which means "mother" in Japanese.
Liz (who is one of Mita's two roommates) went with her speaking partner Tsukasa, and her friend Chris to a sweets shop this afternoon, and I tagged along. First we walked, then we went on a bus, and then we took a train, until we arrived at a huge shopping mall. Inside there were all kinds of shops, with a surprising amount not in the food court that centered around food. We went to a crepe shop (named "Aphrodite" for some reason), where I had my very first crepe! It was a アイスバナナチョコクレープ (that's an ice cream, banana, chocolate crepe, for all you non-speakers) and it was delicious, cheap, and filled me up. I think I like crepes.
I'm planning on writing more about my temporary life in the dorms and a decent background for anyone who is a bit confused by my previous posts tomorrow. So until then, じゃね！(Good bye!)
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