BBQ in Atsugi and Other Things

So Thursday the 22nd, I left my Exploring Tokyo class halfway to meet my host family at Shinjuku station. Somehow I managed to fit 3 nights and 4 days amounts of clothes into my backpack and purse (barely..), so thankfully I didn't have to carry around much luggage. After meeting my host parents we boarded a Romance car on the Odakyu Line (it's called a romance car since the seats are in twos...lol). This was my second time riding a romance car (the first time was when we went to Hakone), but this time we had private seats. I was feeling a bit down/tired/exhausted on Thursday, which my host parents took notice of. So when we arrived at Atsugi, they bought me a vitamin/energy drink as well as little heating pads for me feet and stomach. My host family takes such good care of me! I tried to pay, but of course they wouldn't let me.

My host mom's dad picked us up in his car to take us to his house, the house my host mom grew up in. It was dark, so I didn't get to see much of the area. The house was really nice though. Maybe not as spacious as an American house, but there were plenty of rooms and an outside area (where my host mom's dad had put up tarps for the bbq since it was going to rain the next day). Upon arriving we were promptly feed oden and sashimi by my host mom's mom. Afterwards we went upstairs to my host dad's "hobby" (?) room. He likes collecting American things from like the 60's and 70's, as well as lamps, so the room was pretty cool and had a great atmosphere! He also had a record player, so we listened to some old Japanese records as we drank. We also got to hear him play some guitar and sing. And then I was made to sing Yesterday by the Beatles with him. Well I guess not made to, since I didn't oppose, but I really sound weird on a mic/when I'm performing in front of people >_< like I can actually be a decent singer if I'm singing along with the actual song haha...oh well.

After waking up the next day (I was the last to wake up haha) I helped prepare for bbq. I got to make yakisoba with my host dad on the grill (my first time making yakisoba!). Then a couple of my host mom's friends and their husbands (first time meeting the husbands, I've meet all the wives before) and their kids came over to eat. One of the husbands is the president of the Japanese Hulu (which is pretty husband). My host mom's calligraphy teacher and her 13 year old daughter came as well. I really enjoy talking to the calligraphy teacher. She's been doing calligraphy for over 40 years! She's so knowledgeable  It's amazing. I wish I had something like that I've been doing for an extended period of time...I should have kept up with one of the various lessons I took when I was younger! Anyway, she's really nice too and said that we should all go to Kyoto together so she can explain the history about the area and calligraphy! I also got to meet my host mom's little sister's husband as well. Apparently he is a musician (who has been playing the bass for like 20 years) and has done music for a lot of anime, tv shows, and movies! I met some pretty amazing people this weekend...oh, and my host mom's dad has been doing calligraphy for forever as well. Crazy.

After much talking, eating, drinking, and more eating (grilled tuna steak, grilled fish, freshly cut sashimi, yakisoba, crab, soup, and more) we went up to my host mom's dad's room where he played his guitar and I ended up accompanying him for Yesterday...so embarrassing haha. After my host mom's friends left, the family talked long into the night. The would occasionally ask if I was tired or wanted to go to bed, since I was mainly listening since I couldn't really contribute to their conversations, but I enjoyed just listening so I was fine. When I woke up on Saturday, I played with my host mom's niece named Yume (dream in English), who is literally the cutest thing ever. She's not yet two, so she was pretty quiet, but she seemed really smart for her age since she was able to convey what she wanted pretty well! We played with blocks, trains, and other things. At one point she was pretending to mix food in a little mixing bowl, so I pretended to eat it. And at another time she took my hand and we went around in circles in the house for no reason. It's so cute how she could do the same thing over and over and not get bored.

Later in the afternoon my host mom's older brother came (who was the subject of much conversation the night before). We ate more food (so much food) and drank some more as well. There was a bit of family drama concerning my host sister's older brother (since he went driving while drunk and wouldn't answer his cell phone among other things). My host mom's brother-in-law was telling me that this family was a bit unusual for Japan since they were so open. Maybe that's true, but I really like my host family and their families. Oh, and I experienced my first real earthquake that night! It wasn't too big in Atsugi, but it was still the biggest one I've felt (there have been others but I've never noticed them).

On Sunday we went to a nearby park to look at the leaves, and then said our goodbyes since that day was the Thanksgiving Lunch for my study abroad program. I was pretty spaced out during the lunch, but it was fun to see everyone and their host families. The food was pretty okay too! And I got to introduce my friends to my host family which was a lot of fun. My friends all think my host family is a lot of fun, and my host family thinks I have good friends. My host dad told me to invite some of my friends over sometime, which I am pretty excited about! I don't know if I'll actually do it since I don't want to be a bother, but my host family isn't the type to say things like that out of courtesy. Overall, after the lunch I felt a lot closer to my host family. I'm glad my host family is younger, and I'm glad I have been getting along with them well. I definitely feel more comfortable with them than I did a month ago. I'm excited to see where our relationship will go from here!

Today was cold and I had my Japanese midterm...but tomorrow I'm going to a jazz club with one of my program directors and a few friends, so I'm really looking forward to it!