So... no post till tomorrow possibly

Uploading pictures, editing them and then uploading them takes... forever. So not much in this post except my next 2 or 3 posts will be about what I did this week and espically today (Saturday). Sorry! But I really hate how much I keep cooming on the computer, and I don't think my host parents like it either.

But what I did, and what my next posts are:
Helping my mom teach her english classes at cram school.
My host sister's nursery and my time there.
And my trip to Kyoto with my host family.
Also, on Wednesday I will be going to my permentent host family.

Any other stuff you guys are intrested in and want me to blog about, please leave a comment!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

So, after Rain ruined our plans to visit the famous shrine in Kyoto, the one with a gazillion red arches to the temple, we ended up deciding we would go on Saturday, and today, we would go to yet another mall (I went to one earlier with my host mom, where I bought some stuff for school).

Now, don't think it's nice and cool her with all the rain. It is hot, so hot that I can't seem to get cool by sitting in front of the fan for an hour. Little kids on the way home looked like they jumped out of a pool it was so hot. Let me just say, I am glad I do not school this week.

And this is a picture of Lake Biwa by the way, and yet another Ferris wheel. I have seen more Ferris wheels here then ever in my life.
So at the mall we walked around. I had fried ramen for lunch, yum. We went to a book store, a pet store (some of the cutest dogs I have ever seen are there, but not as cute as my dogs at home) , and the arcade. Now, Japanese arcades are completely different then American arcades. For one thing, they are everywhere. They don't have the prize thing going on, but they do have a million claw games with a variety of prizes. This game is one of my favorites. You pretty much hit the Taiko drum to the beat, just like Rock Band, or more like DK Bangos for the Game Cube (of which I own). This guy is a master: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHvfMECCkMs

And of course, the manga... I can't read it, but I love how they come in thick books and there are a million different kinds of them. They are weekly or monthly and some even come with prizes. The one on top came with a page protector (so when you right your indents don't go onto to the next clean page) and a Nyron planner. The bottom two, Ciao, are for younger 'tween' aged girls. They don't have very famous American known titles, unlike the one on top. They also have some pages folded because I was given them as a gift by my Host Family's cousins.

Augh, I am full from my host mother's delicious tomato soup. I have never tasted tomato soup that could ever. Campbell's is nothing. And it made, for some reason happy and energized. (Energized I can understand, but happy?) Japan is really starting to grow on me, and though the heat is somewhat unbearable, and the stares are obnoxious, I still feel at ease her, and more relaxed. But not so much "OMG, I'm in Japan!" But, "Hey, that's cool, augh, I really can't wait to do this more."

Father's Day

So, for those of you who don't know, Father's Day is a western holiday celebrated here in Japan. So of course being in a host family, we celebrated. This involves many things, including Buddhism, dango, DSs, and much more.

My host father's father had past away I'm guess at least in the past few years. So, today we went to the graveyard and cleaned his tomb.


These Buddhas protect something (Michi really didn't know, so neither do I) at the entrance of the graveyard.

Cleaning the tomb. Those are cousins. They gave me two huge books of Shojo, I am so happy. (It's really cheap here, and they were drooling over my drawings.)

Final Product.

After cleaning the tomb, we went to Grandma's place. We sat around, talked, watch TV. The kids played with the two Nintendo DSs, and we ate some snacks (Including dango, sticky rice flour balls on a stick). A Buddhist monk came over (who was also a high school English teacher, so he talked to me in English) and prayed at the in home box, honoring the ancestors. I didn't get any pictures of that because I didn't want to be rude. After that we ate dinner, and the kids took a bath together. Because I was the only non-family member, I was treated like a guest. So of course I got special chop sticks and felt guilty that I didn't give a gift. But it was still pretty laid back. I had fun, and I am really glad what I got to see.

And Dad, yes you Troy Thiel. I did not forget... I present you with my little letter/unfinished drawing for father's day. It reads:

Dear Dad,

Though we are an ocean apart, a few states, and 16 hours apart, your support on my journey has been some of the best support I have received on this trip.

I am glad both you and mom have been so supportive of my progress to these exciting weeks, as well as my first year of high school. Although I can't be with you today, I'd still like to wish you a happy Father's Day.

Love XOXO,

Anna

Your Daughter

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY EVERYONE!

Photo Post

So, currently I am staying with the Fujihara's. I leave for the Kamada's the 30th. The Fujihara's are currently hosting me because I can't be in a Doctor's family unless I prove that I am in good health for a week (the whole swine flu thing).　The Fujihara's are a family of 4 and live in Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan.Hiroshi is the father, and he works for a credit card company. Michi is my host mother and she works at a cram school as a english teacher.
This is my host brother, Kouki... he goes to elementary schoolAnd this is Saya, she goes to Kindergarden

This is their house.
And the house has some really nice views of the surrounding mountians and neighborhood.That weird curved wall thing is the express way. All express ways have it here to keep out the sound. I forget it's even there I can't hear.There are quite a few children neighbors. There is a park near by, so you can often find them there. They all came over this afternoon and ate my Door County Pancakes... there were plenty enough.
This is my bed, a futon. I normally plug in my ipod, and play with it before I go to bed and when I wake up.And that's all my stuff ... I have desk/tabel, but I don't use it much. I hang out downstairs where I can watch TV, and help fold the laundry.And I'll leave you today with this cute little man hole cover out in the street by my house. Isn't it cute.

Japan is hot, no suprise

I am covered in sweat... eww. No suprise that the only room in my school that is airconditioned is only the computer room. And I have been in that room a total of two times. Ugh, I need to by my self a personal fan.　”あつい” (hot in japanese ) isn't enough to describe how hot it is. And the rain doesn't help, at all.

So I'll tell you the disapointing news, I haven't been taking that many photos. It's not that I'm too busy, it's two other things:
1. I'm an artist, I want to take a good picture, but I have a hard time deciding what I should take. Japan and America have there similarities and differences, but really, a photo might say a 1000 words, but that's not enough.
and 2. I already meet the criteria of looks for 'foriegner' as it is. People won't speak to me in Japanese just because I'm white. Hell, I could be french and they'd still speak to me in english. So, when I have that camera, people not only think I'm bad or weird for wearing a school uniform (which after, do they realize that I'm on exchange) but when you add the camera, the average Japanese by stander will assume that I'm freaking out at a whole bunch of... nothing. Like the vending machines for instance. I have 2 photos of them. 2! At that was at Meishi Shrine, where they have a whole line of them.

Now, besides letting you know that, I am deeply sorry of course. I'll tell you about school:
Now, I get driven to the train station every morning around 7:35. I take the crowded train for about 20 minutes till I get to Ritto station. At Ritto, I get my locked bike, meet my friends and ride to school for quite a while. I go through town, in between houses, rice patties, through a tunnel, and follow a busy rode till I get to school. When I say my school (which is called Josei BTW) is out of the way, IT IS OUT OF THE WAY. At school we have homeroom, and most definitely, I change class rooms. There are about 700 students at my school. There are 6 periods, each lasting around 50 minutes. We have a 5 minute break in between our classes with homeroom, but other then that, they last around 10 minutes. Lunch is after 3rd period, and I get to eat my bento (Which is FABULOUS). There is no cafeteria, but there is a school store that sells bread and juice (it's really just a window with teachers giving out food). At the end of the day, I take my bike back to the station with friends, and go back on the train, walking through my little neighborhood, condensed in between its narrow streets. (I normally buy a drink because I am typically parched.)

Any questions, please, ASK.

Answers to questions

Okay so, people have been telling/asking me the following
your spelling sucks, you have a host family?! why?!

Yes Dad, my spelling does suck on a laptop that I'm not used to at 10 at night as well as on a Japanese key board where the @ symbol isn't on the "2" key. I also havn't been able to really check over any of my writing.

And Jonathan... facebook me or something, because you are slow... :P

Well, I'm gonna visit my school today, just visiting, I start tomorrow... scaaaared

Tokyo and host family

So, after my incredibly long plane ride, i　went to tokyo. We were lectured by the US embassy people, boring. We also went to Meiji Shirne. HUGE place. It was really cool, but we were only staying there shortly.　After that, harajuku.... NOW, before you tell me how lucky i am, let me tell you, walking around in dorky semi formal american clothes　around the streets of expermental fashions　versus tall red headed people will get many death glares and looks head-to-toe. GAAAHHH, harajuku is RACIST. Do not travel there with only white gaijin, bad idea.

Any way, i stayed at the hotel, blah, blah, blah. The whole entire time i was in tokyo, and even now in Otsu, I have been feeling dizzy. I am not dehidrated, and nor am I sleep deprived. Lets just say to those midwesterners, you gain a pair of sea legs over because you can feel the slightest bit of change in the ground if it does not move at home. Japan moves a quater of an inch each year.

Saturday morning we went to tokyo train station where i grabbed the Shincansen (speed bullet train). Another misconsection. The speed bullet train CAN go really fast, but it doesnt mean it will. We went as fast as a train through the rookies goes, except everywhere was increibly populated, wgich is why we went so slow.

I get off the train and meat my host mom, Michi and my host sister, Saya who is 5. Now, if you who were intrested in my rambling about my host family before, i said that my host mothers name was Kimiko, and my host sister was 12. That is because swine flu restricts me from living with a doctor and nurse mother. So I am staying the Fujihara, till the 30th, and then i go over to the other family. Of course no body tells me this till i meet my now "1st" host mother and are given an explanation by her. MY PARENTS KNEW, YFU KNEW, I DID NOT! Miscommunication, ne?
Any way, still in otsu, with little siblings and two parents. I start high school on tuesday (which they do here anyway) and I get to go shopping tomorrow at the mall :D.

One last note before i eat lunch, japanese heated toilet seats can get really hot, you are warned.

Orientation...

Haven't been on a computer for a while >>... I've been at orientation for the past few days, my plane rides suck, but, i leave for tokyo tomorrow! YAY! Not really... I hate planes... their weird and uncompfortable>> ugh. At least I've had been on 10 hour bus rides before, but the pacific ocean will be a little boring. Anyway... people I've been hanging out with, Jeass and another Anna, their cool. My room mate is Jennifer. Also I'm the youndest person doing this... >>

Imporant thing I'm going to state: I might have to stay in Tokyo, at the USA Youth thing ma bob beacsue of swine flu quaritine for certain prefectures, sucks, but they'll take us aroud to tour Tokyo anyway
well, I gotta get up early tomorrow, so good night

P.S. I LOVE ALL THE DIFFERENT ENGLISH ACCENTS I'M KEEP HEARING... AND CALI IS NOT HOT >:C

Host Family Info...

Got a fax today giving the basic info of my host family...
Family of 6 living in Otsu-shi(town/city), Shiga(province), Japan
Family of 6 (2x the size of my own)
My father, Keiji Kamada is a Doctor
His wife, Kimiko, is a Nurse
I have two sisters, I do not know their names but they are 16 and 12
and my two brothers are 8 and 7
OMG, I have siblings... I'm an only child... wow

That's all I know, I don't even have an email address...

4 more days!

4 more days till I leave. For finals: Bio, English, and Japanese test left, plus a paper for History. Saturday I have a preformance with my band at the high noon saloon, spending about 7 hours there >> And I have a hair appointment today... nothing exciting something functional yet stylin... oh yeah... But I'm keeping the length. I do still have to pack, but I have two hard suitcases I'm taking: carry on and the one that goes on the bottom of the plane... what's that called... checked? I've gotten some really cool books though, star girl and sequel, why i lost my hair, and the geography of happiness. Addicting already, but with the 17+ hours of airtime to get there, I should be okay.

Anyway! I'll probably be writing more short posts when I wait for my planese in the airports. I'm gonna miss you all!