school and not

the last few weeks have been really good. school's been a definite change though. previously, before coming to japan, i thought i had a pretty good idea of how japanese school worked. i was wrong. yet, at the same time, i was pretty much on the ball in regards to some things. some things though are really strange. for example, in japan, they don't have recess. they only have 10 minutes between lessons, and a 40 minute lunch. so by the end of the third lesson, you're both starving and drained, because you haven't had an opportunity to relax for long enough. i definitely prefer the australian method atm, but it is nice to not have to go from one class STRAIGHT to the next, and to instead have a bit of a break.

at school, i was a bit of a super star, but now it's starting to wear off, which is nice. for a week, i was riding some serious novelty factor, but now, as i become more of an everyday thing, it's not so prevalent, which is nice. but the japanese teenager doesn't seem to gawk or react to a novelty person in the same way that an australian would. i think australians in general would at least attempt to talk/communicate with them, and maybe mention to their friends as an aside a difference between them and the novelty person. here, though, it's more like: 1) a japanese girl sees me. 2) she quickly mentions to her friends that i'm there, and they start screaming/giggling. 3) they wave/laugh towards me, if they're brave enough. 4) i wave back, sending them into more hysterics. on occasion, they'll actually approach me, and attempt to say "herro! my name is *insert VERY forgettable name here*" (btw, japanese names are SO hard to remember! i can remember all of about 4 people's names in the whole school atm, because they all sound so similar. many girl's names end in "ko" and are 6 letters long, as are many of the boy's names, minus the "ko".) it's pretty funny watching the girl's reactions, but sometimes, it get's a little repetitive, but still fun. the boys often want to shake my hand, and will usually go "OOHH! BAEN!!" no body's able to pronounce my name here… it's kind of funny, especially as it's not like it's very difficult for them, not something like liam or laela etc…

because the year 12s had exams this week, i had three days off from tuesday till thursday, which was great. on tuesday, i went on a very scenic route to Mago, the main/only shopping mall in Seki, on my mama chari. i also went to the only gym in my city with my host brother. it's strange; in adelaide, there are heaps of gyms, all of which you must pay for. but here, there's only ONE gym in the whole of the city (yes, i know i'm in a much smaller city here; but there's more then 11 gyms in Adelaide!!) and it's free. as in, if you're a citizen of the city, you can go to this gym as often as you'd like, for nothing, ever. all you must do first is go to a safety demonstration where they show you how to use the equipment properly. so, that's what i went to on tuesday evening.

on wednesday, it was my birthday, so i relaxed for most of the morning, had some nice lunch (i think it was a japanese version of chinese fried rice, some miso soup and salad). then, i went to the gym, and when i came home again later, i relaxed, and then called my australian counsellor, my grandparents and my own parents, before having dinner.

omg it was so good!! there was sashimi (tuna and squid sashimi is like heaven from the sea!!!), purple-y rice with soy beans, a cooked vegetable dish with sauce, ebi-furai (literally: prawn fry, or deep fried battered prawns, which are so good!!) and ham-furai (fried centimetre thick pieces of ham battered and fried, delicious!!). there was also salad, which, like everything else made by my host-mother, was delicious!!! :D

i was given a REALLY nice wallet by my host parents, which was ridiculously unnecessary, and a nice beanie from my host brother, which i plan to use next month when i go skiing again!! :D

btw, i went skiing on sunday by myself. i got up at sparrow (like 5:15am) and caught a bus from seki to hirugano and was skiing by 9:00! :D the actual ski resort was fairly small, (ie two 1km long lifts equivalent) but the weather was INCREDIBLE, and the powder snow was to die for. i even made myself a powder snow angel! haha it definitely beat 35˚C in Adelaide!

the weather here atm is really cold. i literally breathe out steam in my room in the mornings and evenings, it's so cold, mainly because no-body in all of japan has ever heard of central heating. instead, they all use these piss-weak gas space heaters, and so everyone's freezing, all the time, unless they're next to the "stove" (as they call them, except that japanese people can't pronounce "v" sounds, so it comes out "stobe"! haha), when they're too hot. i think i'm getting used to it, and it was snowing for a couple of days last week, which was awesome, and most definietly made up for it! if you're my friend on facebook, check out my photos, i believe they're worth your time! :D

anyway… i think i'll go to bed now. the olympic ceremony is from 11am japan time, so i'm getting up for that. can't wait!!
let me know what you want to hear more of, and i might put it in next time, if i can be bothered.

btw, to leave you with a smile: i was in a drug store the other day looking for gum, but i had some real trouble choosing which type i should get. i mean, do i go for "Black and Black"? or maybe "SPASH"?? or how about "XYLISH"??? some of the names of products, t-shirts and shops here are absolutely ridiculous, including a shop called "crack step" and a tshirt that simply said: "parent's are sure hard to raise". ok then… :D