Saturday I woke up half asleep (my host family had a little gathering that lasted into the night lol). I had my first class yesterday, however, so I had to be awake and ready to get to school before 10:40 (Saturday school uggggghhh). The subway to Waseda was so crowded (so many people were heading to Waseda), and I was almost late to class! Thankfully I made it on time. My Saturday Japanese class is pretty small (about seven people), but it seems to be the right level for me for now.
After class I meet with some TEAM members before heading back home to go to a local matsuri with my family and some of their friends and their kids (who are all really nice). We got the time of the festival wrong though, so we were there too early. I was still able to try the goldfish catching game (I caught two!), which was a lot of fun (though I couldn't take them home with me).
To kill some time we ate at a little restaurant near the shrine where I had omurice and beer (of course lol). I felt a bit bad since we are suppose to buy our own lunch (host family only has to provide breakfast and dinner), but my offer to pay was rejected (not that I'm complaining though). After lunch we stopped by the matsuri real quick, but they weren't quite ready yet. So the group returned to the apartment to drink. And drink. And snack. And drink. I only had one drink after lunch (I'm trying to drink less though I don't want to seem ungrateful/my body can't handle alcohol everyday), but I am truly amazed at the amount my family and their friends can drink haha.
On a side note, it's been interesting to see how hard my host mom works at home to be a good host when there are guests over. She's always on top of everything; she makes sure drinks are filled and that there is enough food for everyone. If something is needed or goes wrong, she's the one who responds. While it seems like everyone else is relaxing, she is usually kept busy with something or other. I really admire her ability to work so hard and to be so attentive. Even at meal times I still feel a bit uncomfortable. For the most part, I've been making my own breakfast for the last seven years, if not more. So it's weird to have someone make and serve me my breakfast...
Later that night we returned to the festival. It was definitely more livelier and crowded then. There was dancing (Hawaiian style for some reason?), and a lot of food and game stalls. After hanging out there for a bit, I left to meet some friends to go to karaoke (I had asked my host mom earlier if it was okay to go and she said yes, although I know it isn't really common to leave the home after eating dinner/coming home for the day...) Karaoke was a bit awkward (I didn't know what to sing and the song I picked didn't show my singing abilities lol), but it was a lot of fun! It was my first karaoke in Japan! Afterwards we got a Korean dessert called papingsu since we were in the Korean town area. It was sooo good! I definitely want to check out that area of Tokyo a bit more.
Today I went to a bbq with my host family! It was put together by the day care/kindergarten that my host brother goes to. I was really glad that I was invited along! It's nice to have a host family who involves you in their lives. It's also been fun getting to meet so many different people through my host family (although I can't remember all of their names). Sometimes it is a bit hard to communicate with other Japanese people, especially if they use more complicated vocab or grammar but most of the time I am able to make do. Though when I'm really tired, my Japanese is horrible. Anyway, the bbq was fun and the food was great, but unfortunately I forgot my sunscreen and sunglasses which was a huge mistake. It was super hot, and the sun was blazing down upon us. So now I have a horrible sunburn. My neck, arms, and face are pretty red...thankfully it doesn't hurt though.
On the way home we took the Yurikamome transit line. I sat with my host brother in the first car, so we were able to watch the scenery from the front window! And on the way home we saw part of the omikoshi procession for the local shrine; my first time seeing it! It was pretty amazing, even though it was for a small festival. I wonder how heavy the omikoshi is and what it feels like to carry one. The procession moves pretty slowly as well, and the mikoshi carriers move their legs in a certain way they whole time. I think it's amazing that things like the omikoshi procession still exist even now. I hope I'll get to see more.
Back at the apartment we had some somen and chatted for a bit. I definitely feel more comfortable around my host family now than a week ago when I first got here, but of course there are still awkward moments. I have gotten a lot closer with my little host brother, who has at first too shy to even really look at me. But now he'll hold my hand while we are walking, and we've been watching television together or playing games. Today I played trump with him and my host mom, and Japanese card game (I forgot the name). We also watched parts of Toy Story 3 together today (which was dubbed in Japanese and hilarious to watch). My host mom and dad have been doing more research about where to go and what to do in Akita, so I'm really looking forward to the trip!
Tomorrow I have class from 9-12:10 and then from 2:45-6...horrible...so I'm going to get some sleep now! Also there is a typhoon happening! I'm glad I'm in a sturdy building!
