Compared to my last post, this will not be very interesting. But, I made a promise to myself and many of you that I would keep up with this thing so here it goes.
I could probably sum up my entire week in one go: hockey, movies, music, meals, showers.
....
Oh dear. I've run out of things to write about.
Okay, well I guess I did one fun thing. Last week John and I went back to Nagoya (the 20 minute train ride is very convenient when you are bored) and went to the Osu district. There is a rather large, beautiful, Buddhist temple there called Osu Kannon (I'm not sure which was named after which) and seeing as it was right after New Year's, there were huge crowds. I guess New Year's Eve is not the only night people that pray for the New Year. I assume it's kind of like Boxing Day. The day itself has all the hype but really, the sales go on for a week. We didn't line up (it would have taken hours!) but we did browse the food stalls set up all around the temple...sort of like a fair. Later we ate pizza from a restaurant in Osu that is famous for it's pizza. The owner and chef of this little pizza restaurant has actually won multiple awards in Italy for his pizza so you know you're paying for the best. And even though he is rich and famous, he is still the guy in the kitchen cooking the pizzas. I liked that. And, yes, the pizza was delicious. Osu is also known for being one of the best shopping districts in Nagoya and I've already found my favourite store there and make a point of visiting it every time I am in Osu. I've already bought boots, a sweater, a necklace and a purse! They were cheap but my overweight baggage charges will make up the difference I'm sure ;). We have quickly become quite the experts on Nagoya and have no trouble finding things to do there. Not to mention, we are experts at finding great, cheap and (most importantly) delicious izakaya restaurants. I am really going to miss izakayas. At an izakaya in Tokyo, the menu was all on a touch-screen, wireless computer. And at the izakaya in Nagoya that we went to last week, you order with a sort of electronic pen (it was very complicated). The useless yet wonderful technology in this country will never fail to astound me.
For the rest of the week I really just procrastinated and watched a lot of great hockey games. Shame about that Canada vs. Russia game. And shame that the Canucks broke their winning streak but I have to say, I am really impressed with our playing and I think we have a real chance at the playoffs! (Fingers crossed...toes crossed...eyes crossed..)
Oh yeah, I'm in Japan...
After another seemingly random holiday on Monday, I was back to school on Tuesday only to realize how soon this is all coming to an end. One of our classes finished for good this week. We gave little speeches on our experiences in Japan and that was it. Now we are organizing when our exam and graduation-esque ceremony will be. It's sad to think that in two weeks from today, Japanese school will be finished. And I didn't even get to wear a uniform!
On the bright side, we have a ton of end-of-year parties to attend. We've already had one (which included karaoke!!) and are booked for three more! Gosh, it's nice to be an exchange student- everyone wants you at their parties!
Now that home is on the horizon though, the end couldn't come any sooner. Time seems to have slowed to a crawl though. But that might have just been last week when I was very bored and days seemed to go on forever. It didn't seem like it would be before I left, but four months is a long time! There are so many things that I still want to see in Japan but I am also just exhausted (especially after the terrible time I've had this week trying to book flights for my post-school traveling)!!
What's the first thing I'm going to do when I get home? Sleep in my own bed.
Oh that sounds nice.
Counting the days,
Britt
I miss the smell of my laundry detergent.
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