11/30: fall-color matsuri!

Yesterday we got to go to a fall-color matsuri, where we were bombarded with green, then as we got closer to the festival grounds, the leaves on the trees slowly turned red! It was called the momiji matsuri!

Let me back up, because some cool things happened yesterday. When I woke up, I found that my host-father had already made these perfect little omurice plates for each of us, and it tasted wonderful. I hadn't had a really good omurice before, so it was really impressive.

By then Satoshi hadn't already left to work at the festival, so I started helping Haruka label the sweets to sell and for him to take to the festival. Then he left and I began working on day one’s journal.

Itoha insisted that instead of working alone, she help me by bringing her toys over to my futon and playing with me. She was very helpful in that. Then she insisted that we watch E.T. together, which was adorable, so I gladly watched with her.

Me and Haruka took a walk around their house and towards their restaurant where I stepped foot in it for the first time, and it was really cool. It was made of rocks and bricks and covered in moss. It felt like I stepped into a structure that was very old but people still took great measures to take care of it. From what I learned about the building, how the Mine family has run it for a few generations now, that is exactly so.

Then, me and Haruka went across the rice fields behind the restaurant to the small river and the nearby forest. We didn't walk on the path, but we marveled at the view and enjoyed the crisp air. It was a wonderful walk.

After that, I finally got my work done, and by that point we needed to go to the festival, so off we went. But before that, I met Isla, who was a good dog. We left for the festival, and after getting a little carsick because of the winding roads, we finally arrived at the festival grounds.

I couldn't believe how lush the forest was. It was so beautiful, I was totally enthralled. The little river that ran through the mountains made a soothing noise, and was beautiful as I looked down into it. It was framed nicely by the surrounding green foliage, and as we descended further towards the festival, the forest around us became more and more red and orange.

When we got there, music was being played and vegetables were being given out. I got some sweet potatoes, I think Nanoha got a daikon and everyone else got some sweet potatoes too. We entered the place where food was being sold, and we offered to help Satoshi, alone at the curry stall and slammed with customers, with making the curry to be sold.

I helped scoop the rice, Satoshi poured the curry, added the egg and seasonings, and Haruka sold it and counted the money. We worked together well! But then Itoha wanted to take a walk, and us girls were hungry, so we decided to get something else to eat and then go for a walk and enjoy the beautiful colors.

We walked down towards the river that flowed by us, and I got to touch the water. For me that's something special I do to ‘get to know’ the water, or greet it. It wasn't very cold, but everyone around me was all like “oh wow it's so cold!”

I had to explain that where I come from, the rivers are from snowmelt, and the oceans are ice cold. To swim in those rivers, you must develop a tolerance to the cold, so it becomes easier to bear.

The festival was fun. I trapped a murder-hornet, then realized there was another one right next to it and freaked out. That was scary. I talked to a nice old lady and showed her and her grandson pictures of san fransisco, which was fun. I also talked to a nice old lady who spoke tagalog, english, and spanish. She was very nice.

I ran into some foreigners who spoke English. They messed up my Japanese skills considerably because they rewired my brain for English-speaking and I had to think in Japanese. From then on, actually, I had some trouble speaking Japanese, which I found weird because I had the words on the tip of my tongue.

After we got home, I decided to take another walk with Nanoha, this time into the forests and rice fields that me and Haruka stopped at. We walked for a long time, and I very much enjoyed the nice talk we had, but when I got home, I hadn't realized I was so tired.

I fell onto my futon and immediately fell asleep. That was nuts because I didn't really think I was so tired, I thought I would just close my eyes for a little while and I would be fine. I was not fine! I woke up when everyone was having dinner!

For dinner, we had takoyaki, which I groggily stumbled over to and discovered, and after taking a few bites solemnly decided it was not for me. I usually don't eat octopus, but I ate a piece for the Mine family! Mom, dad, aren't you proud? (冗談)

After I told them that I usually didn't eat octopus, I started eating their fish cakes and cucumbers and kimchi, and they were excited that I liked kimchi. I explained I was just about the only person (except for my dad) in my family who really liked kimchi. They were really glad, and gave me a lot!

We decided to make kimchi and cheese-yaki, some of which fermented the tako in the takoyaki. We had the エバリン・ゾーン where no tako was allowed, which was so nice of them! That was so considerate, I thought, to take my preference and allow me to be my picky-eater self.

After dinner, we decided it was present time, so I brought out all the gifts that I brought for everyone, and I gladly gave them out. Everyone was especially happy about the chocolate, and Kotoha was very happy that I brought raspberry chocolate. That's a win for my grandma, who was correct in thinking those were a great idea!

I have no idea if they've opened the see’s candies box yet, I have no clue if they will like them, but when they open it, I will definitely take one or two. They know I have an allergy to chocolate. It isn't a terrible allergy, though. I can eat a little bit and be mostly fine.

Anyhow shortly after that I took a shower, which was weird because I wasn't expecting the shower to be one where you sit on a bench and spray yourself with water. We do not have that in america, i thought that was weird at first then absolutely loved it.

It was so nice sitting down and also showering because at that point my whole body was tired from doing different things all day. The hot air vent built into the ceiling was nice, but I overheated very easily and it made me drowsy. After that, I went to sleep. I didn't sleep well, but that was my fault.

Note on the day skip: i accidently put yesterday’s date as 11/28 instead of the local time of 11/29.

12/1: Today, we began with an awesome breakfast!! Haruka and Satoshi decided to slice up the sourdough loaf I brought and toast it, and they served it with Avocado (my favorite), cucumber, lettuce, ham, cheese, mayo, and egg. Everything was delicious, every combination was incredible, I thoroughly enjoyed this morning’s meal.

Yesterday I was informed that today would be my reconing: the first day of school. I was not nervous then. I am nervous as I type this now, and I'm almost done with the day! After we had breakfast, it became this rush to get our stuff together in the correct order and get out the door.

I felt like i forgot something (here is a list of what i forgot: toothbrush+toothpaste because i misplaced them at home and i didn't know we needed them at school?, my large water bottle because i became very thirsty)

Haruka gave me a nice bento with the bag she gave it to me as a picture of their youngest Itoha. It was really cute. We piled into the car (with Itoha, who wasn't actually going anywhere but wanted to come with mom anyway), and began the drive to school. It wasn't very long, about the drive to the matsuri yesterday, but without the long winding mountain roads. It was a nice drive.

When we got there, we saw the homeroom teacher walking across the road, but weren't able to talk to her. Me and Kotoha walked into the school- massive by the way, and five stories tall, and were immediately stopped to wait in the office.

We waited there for a few minutes until we met the homeroom teacher- whose name I forget, sorry!- and then we waited some more. Me and Kotoha became nervous. We eventually went up three stories and entered our homeroom class, where I introduced myself the best I could.

So it turns out that this school has a morning period, a sort of ‘focus’ as we called it back at my middle school. That ended quickly, then we went to geography, where I was bored for a long time writing yesterday’s journal. Then, I got approached by the teacher to introduce myself again.

He gave me a textbook that was flipped to the page with california on it, and so i instructed the class to do the same, and explained a little about Sacramento and California. Really, I lied and said I was from around Sacramento, which isn't technically a lie because I am from around Sacramento but I do not live in Sacramento. I just couldn't find Folsom on the map, so I went with Sacramento.

Actually I'm not even from Folsom! I'm from El Dorado Hills! But that's just such a small town it wouldn't show on any map, not even the smallest regional maps. That's another lie, it probably would be, but El Dorado Hills is small compared to Sacremento, so no wonder it wouldn't show up on a world atlas. It makes no sense why it would, if it did.

Anyhow, rant over, we went to math class next. I will not elaborate how because of a year-long break from math I got laughed at softly by a whole class of these kids and had to explain I knew how exponents worked- then immediately messed up a crucial step. It was incredible. I spent the rest of that class spite-drawing in my journal.

Speaking of drawing, the next class was art! And little did I know, art took up two periods. I thought that was really interesting. Anyhow, as I sat twiddling my thumbs while everyone got out their shining canvases and oil paints and started to smell up the room, 先生 came up to me, introduced himself, and offered me an alternate activity. I gladly accepted, and so I began on filling in a scene with GODZILLA IN THE MIDDLE…??

I really didn't expect to draw godzilla blasting a beam of fire- wait no! Trick’s on you, because the fire turns into green foliage! He’s chillin’ in a nice field, and where he steps green grass overtakes the yucky brown grass that once was there!

Let me be absolutely clear in saying that I had no idea what I was doing. I just started drawing with color; lots and lots of color. I don't really like using pencils, I think it's stupid using something that smudges and smears so easily just to get a base? Why would someone do that?? Use pen! Use a light, neutral colored pen that disappears under heavy colors, Especially outlines where you can easily ignore the neutral sketches underneath.

After i finished, i waited a while before i started on the next one because 先生 dissapeared, but when he came back he assigned me another art project. This one was one for what I thought about Satsumasenndai, or what I liked about it. For now i just have 緑森，友人，and something else i don't remember. It may have been おいしい食物 because i forgot to add the べ in 食べ物. I am borderline fluent.

Finally after that it was lunch, and at that point I knew I was hungry, but really I was more excited for english class. I enjoyed the bento that was packed for me, which contained rice, chicken, some avocado, cucumber, tamago, and some delicious mushrooms. I also had some rice crackers that were insanely good, but they got stuck in the crowns of my teeth. That was a nice reminder of how I did not bring my toothbrush.

I packed it, but as of now I have no idea where it is. I found out today that I need it after lunch at school, which is something nobody prepared me for. Aside from not having that and that subsequent embarrassment, me, Kotoha, and two other girls actually walked across the school bridge to get to the other bathroom for them to brush their teeth.

That was fun because at the end of this long hall, I saw a gundam figure made of cardboard, which I thought was cool. So I ran over to it and said hi, which prompted the two other girls to follow me and come say hi too. Then we looked out the window at the town below us, noted the drugstore and how I could read all of the signage (incredible), and then we went back.

The class after lunch was english. But it wasn't english time yet! It was time to clean!! I felt like a buffoon, how I did not understand anyone requests of me, and how it felt like i wasn't needed and that they did this all the time without me (which they did).

Someone told me that we communicated well together, which we didn't, because I know for a fact I only understood about 20% of what he tried to tell me. That was not communication good. That was communication bad.

Anyhow, finally after that we got to talking in English. I got approached by a dude from Alabama- which is exactly the terminology I would use when referring to someone (male) with origins in the American state of Alabama. I was later informed his name was Carl or Craig or Daniel or something really really white. I cannot stress enough how he looked like a dude from Alabama. This was the perfect way to describe him.

He and I talked a little bit about how nice it is to be in Japan, and how he’s a JET program teacher. He’d been in Japan for two years. That's cool for me, because one day I think I'd like to become a teacher in Japan, I don't know if I can, but I'd like to try.

He wasn't our teacher. His class was on the first floor, we were on the third, I have no idea what he was doing up there with us, but he was. Our teacher came and introduced himself, and his English was wonderful.

He and i talked from across the class (rude where i come from, i guess they don't care here? Does it not bother the students?) about different things, including where I was from, how hot California gets in the summer, and how he also lived in Sacramento for a while. I thought that was really cool, so I tried to explain how I lived near Sacramento in Folsom, but he had no idea where Folsom was. It's only like 30 minutes outside of Sacramento! Whatever. Its fine, folsom isn't really that special.

The class after that was Japanese. It wasn't easy Japanese like I was used to, it was big kid 文学. Thankfully, I did not have to introduce myself to the class. Actually, the teacher seemed not to bother with me at all, which me and the girls joked about. On one hand I was relieved I didn't have to speak my terrible Japanese again, and on the other part of me craved that stupid attention that I shrivel up when I got my hands on it! Attention is not good for me, I don't know why I ever desire it. I had really odd mixed feelings about not introducing myself for that last class.

Finally, I'm writing these paragraphs in (what i hope is) the last class of the day. We are sitting here. Doing nothing. Someone was watching tiktok a while ago when the teacher wasn't here. The girls are playing with each other’s hair. Absolutely no instruction is happening, and this teacher is standing at the front of the classroom cutting paper. We are sitting in silence.

I have no idea of the academic merrit of this time, because surely nobody is using it to finish homework, but really I am bored right now. If there is another class after this I might lose my mind. It's almost four! Back home, we get out of school at 2:55 right when the minute turns.

Everyone is saying 疲れた and i totally agree. I too am つかれた. I'm just waiting for the chimes to ring- the ones that go doo dooo doo dooooo- so i can finally go home. I mean I think the sun is starting to set, that's how bad this is. How many more days of this…?

^^^

I went on about that too long. I was just getting antsy. After school finally ended, I parted with Kotoha- she was going to hang out with her boyfriend- and I got picked up by Haruka and Nanoha, and we went to pick up Itoha.

When we got to the daycare, everyone was very nice, especially this lively dog that I met who insisted on biting my hand very hard. That hurt. I kept on getting “あっ、大丈夫でしょうか？” from everyone, but really, i was 大丈夫.

After that, we went to a family mart! As an american looking into japanese living, all i had heard about life here was “go to a コンビニ”. That's it. That's just about the only advice that I've really gotten over and over again as of things I absolutely have to do.

Not to be ungrateful, but i found the コンビニ to be just about regular. Their selection of snacks was incredible, their drinks were half tea, half alcohol, and there was some availability of warm food, but I found that it felt like an average convenience store in America.

I really don't mean to sound rude! It was cool, I got a grapefruit drink (which was delicious), a small coke for later (because coke runs in my veins, I'm an American), an annko daifuku, and a 3-flavored hi-chew pack. All that- especially the small Coke would be totally unavailable in America. Really, it was neat.

After that, we went home. The gradual changing of the weather throughout the day had finally settled into a dense cloudy sky, which eventually started sprinkling rain.

For dinner that night we had Oden, which was actually the first time I ever had oden. That was really cool. It was good, but kinda fishy. Who could have guessed fish broth with fish cakes and shrimp balls and tofu skins and such would end up tasting fishy?

Personally I thought it could have used a little salt but that might have been my inner American talking.

After dinner I couldn't stand being awake any longer. I was so tired, I flopped down onto my futon and immediately fell asleep. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was day three.