How did it get so late so soon?

Competitors tie their obi's and get dressed on stage at the Kimono Festival in Hikone.

My roommate all dressed up.

Robert Shelton all dressed up.

The best (and probably most obvious) thing I love about Japan is doing things I'd never get to go at home, like go to a Kimono festival. Sunday, my roommate and seven other JCMU students participated in it. Most just went and got all dressed up by professionals. They all looked beautiful and handsome. Two actually competed. While there are different categories to the competition the basics is the people are on stage, the clock starts, and they are judged on how fast and well they can tie their obi and dress them selves up. I'm so proud of friends who went up on stage and did it in front the crowd. 

This week also begins my less-than-a-month countdown til I'm back in America (25 days to be exact). I have very mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I miss home. I miss my friends, both at school and from Chicago. I miss my family. I miss driving. I miss my cats and dogs. I miss American food. Like a lot. I already told my roommate from Central that we're going to hit up a Mexican food restaurant when I see her, and I'm really hoping my mom picks me up from the airport with a Lou Malnati's deep dish sausage pizza (hint, hint). 

Even though I miss all those things I know when I get back to America there are going to be so many things I miss about Japan. I love the train system here. I travel to a new place just about every weekend here. I actually like not having a cell phone. I love learning a new language. It has been hard but that has just made it that much more rewarding. I'm going to miss the bejesus out of my roommate and all the other great friends I've made here. 

Until then, I'm going to enjoy the time I have left and make the most of it.

I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues.

Tyler Castner and I practicing with the Seisen University students, Misa Ariyama, Kotono Ootsuki, and Yuta Onishi before our live radio show.

Kotono Ootsuku, Misa Ariyama, and Tyler Castner after the show.

Two months ago I knew zero Japanese. Sunday I did an interview with Seisen University students on a live internet show, in Japanese. Was my Japanese any good? Probably not. Most likely it sounded like two year old repeating the only words he or she knows over and over again. None the less I was proud of myself. Tyler and I had been with working with the university students for over a month figuring out what we were going to talk about.

Aside from my horrible Japanese the show was actually a lot of fun. We talked about JCMU, our favorite Japanese food, anime and other aspects about our lives here in Japan. We broadcasted the show from the second floor of a cafe in Hikone. It was a really cool place that use to be post office. After we finished the show we all went downstairs and enjoyed coffee and cake.

Oh the places you will go...

Houses and boats along side a river that flows from Lake Biwa. It was named this because it is in the shape of an upside down biwa. It is also one of the worlds oldest lakes going back almost 4 million years.

After being awake and traveling for more than 24 hours I finally arrived at JCMU Monday night. The traveling was pretty uneventful just a lot of waiting. The fun part was when I had to go through customs. Out of the group of six of us I was the only three of us had to get our bags search but I was the lucky one that had to get pulled away from everyone into a room and have the entirety of my bag pulled out and searched through. It was slightly traumatizing seeing as I don't know any Japanese, but I made it.  

I am staying in a rural town called Hikone (He-cone-ay) located in the Shiga prefecture. I'm right in the middle of the main island Honshu on the largest lake in Japan, Lake Biwa. The whole area is surrounded by mountains. It's very beautiful, but also extremely humid. I don't think I've gone a day without sweating profusely.

After two days of orientation, I have started classes. I'm taking an intensive language course which meets for three hours, five days a week and a culture and society course. The language class was slightly overwhelming but I'm hoping it will get better as I become more accustomed to the language.

My backyard.

My favorite part so far has been riding around Hikone. Everyone gets a bike at JCMU and it's how we get around. The town is an interesting mesh of old and new. It has a a large shopping area with big billboards, but it is also home to one of only four castles in Japan.

It has not been impossible to get by without knowing Japanese. Most of the important places I've had to visit (airport/city hall) has always had someone who could speak English and at restaurants I just point on the menu to the food I want.  I have no idea what I'm getting but so far its all been good. I am extremely grateful for the friends I've made though. Most of them are proficient enough to help me out when I am completely lost.

Deanna takes a photo of Kristen during out exploration of Hikone. We look like giant tourists, the helmets and picture taking don't help.