February 18

Today was better than yesterday, even exciting. I woke up at 6:50 (yes, 20 minutes before my alarm) to the house shaking. Today I expereinced my first earthquake! I don’t know what it was, but as soon as I realized it was happening (mostly from the sound of my room’s wooden, sliding door shaking) I jumped out of bed, looked for something to crawl under, and (finding only a glass-top, knee-high table) grabbed the pillow that I usually sit on on the floor, covered my head, and tried futilly to get under my (also low) bed. I wasn’t sure if it would get worse (or if it was all from the washing machine shaking the house), so I just sat on the floor with the pillow until the shaking stopped. I gave a bit of thought to the possiblility of an aftershock, but being so tired, I just crawled back into bed. I realized later that overall, I would have probably have been just as safe from a quake if I had just covered my head with my pillow and stayed in bed, but at the time, I don’t think I was really in my right mind (I had just woken up in the middle of a dream, after all).

I slept in a bit after my alarm (I let it snooze) and caught my later train to class. Before I left though, I had breakfast as usual (okaasan made an over-easy egg for me and I realized that as much as I am trying to get accustomed to things I don’t like, I can’t do the uncooked yolk thing) and almost left my commuter pass and phone in my room.

We had a kanji quiz at the beginning of the first class (which I, to no surprise, did badly on) and spent the rest of the time listening to the textbook CD and reading the passage for chapter five.

After class, I did the next day’s homework (and talked with Christian, which is always a weird and interesting experience) and got lunch at Valor’s. Lunch was the beginning of a long day of eating. I still wasn’t sure what to give up for lent, so I made sure I didn’t buy any sweets I had had before, but I ended up getting the bacon sandwich, an empty danish, and what was labeled as “french style bread” (french toast). Everything was delicious (and huge) but the “french style bread” was definitely not french toast. It was some kind of sugary cake about three times as wide as American-made french toast and a normal half-slice of bread in the other two dimensions. It was delicious, but too much.

Afterward, I looked through Christian’s sketchbook while talking with him and James (a Britt) about making money by reselling what we buy in Japan as well as childish jokes. I worked on my next hanga until coffee hour, which would start at 3:30.

Coffee hour was supposed to be in the cafeteria of the C building, but it got moved to the Logos Center. We had a hard time finding it, so we walked around a bit until we ran into Alvin, Dan, and some others. We spent the rest of the time (before coffee hour) looking for more people to invite, but to no avail. Finally, we went down the winding hall in the Logos Center and had chocolate fondue while talking with some Japanese girls (there was only one Japanese guy to talk to and he would only speak English). I ate much too much chocolate fondue on biscuits (you’ve turned me, James), marshmallows, bananas, strawberries, and kiwi. Unfortunately, the experience reinforced my conviction that my ability to hear and comprehend Japanese is lacking, but I did get an e-mail address from one of the Japanese students, so hopefully I will have a chance to practice my writing and reading, if not meet and hang out with my new friend.

Afterward, no one wanted to go home, so we hung around outside the coffee hour room and talked, walked to Lawson’s and talked, and walked to our ekis. I talked with Yasha a bit about cars and motor cycles. Once again, it was considered shocking that a girl likes cars (and apparently it was a contrast to kawaii kyoumi of most Japanese girls). Then again, I did get the compliment of being genki and Japanese earlier that day, so who knows.

I got home a bit later than expected, but okaasan told me it was alright since I hadn’t missed dinner. At dinner though, she told me that it was important that I talk (which I don’t do much of at home) since okaasan and otousan don’t know me well enough to read me without words. She was worrying about why I don’t use ketchup on my eggs or soy sauce in general. I told her I don’t use oyuu because its flavor is too strong. I should have said more, because what I meant was the flavor would overpower the oishii quality of her cooking. Okaasan made omuraisu (omlet rice) aka katsudon. It was kind of sweet (and tasted like the rice souflé) but she gave me so much (on top of the fondue I had eaten) that I had a hard time finishing. When she brought out ice cream with strawberries after, I tried to decline politely, but I failed, so I had to eat it because it was “only a bit of ice cream and strawberries.”

Afterward I felt sick. I haven’t been sick from overeating since my paternal Grandparents’ wedding anniversary (which is so far back in my childhood that I can’t remember which one it was). I do remember that my cousins would pinch the flame of the candle on the table with their fingers (that trick where you don’t burn yourself). Anyway, I ate a lot of food today and I don’t want to again.

After dinner, I used the internet for a while. The first thing on TV (while I surfed) was some kind of talk show about brain activity during different stimuli (such as fear and concern). It was really interesting, but Japanese TV is really weird. First of all, if it’s possible (99% of the time) there will be some kind of chart, graph, model, etc. of a process or statistic. This time, they took it one point further and had humans (in costume, of course) act out the activity of the brain (two people represented two phenomena within the brain). To take it a step further, there was moonwalking and a cord that plugged into a belt and lit up. Yeah, this stuff is off the wall. Second of all, there were celebrities (whose sole role in the show was to sit and comment on/react to the video). There were fish tanks in the background; one with those black eel-like fish and one with angelfish. I liked them more than the celbrities. Anyway, there were tests (such as solving puzzles before a bee-like pin popped a huge balloon) where brain activity was monitored and it was found that one kind of activity takes over in the case of stress (such as anxiety). I wish I understood Japanese more so I could understand the show more.

After surfing, I watched a drama with a famous 70-year old Japanese lady in it (Japanese people do not age, this woman was very pretty) with okaasan. The story was that the lady picked up a guy who seemed homeless, but he turned out to be a bad man who had drugged another lady, so the first lady poisoned him and he (while dying) tried to make it look like a suicide (since he loved the first lady). The star of the film was a detective who was able to tell the whole story from the clues. In the end though, he laughs with the killer lady before driving her off. I’m not really sure why that happened.

Okaasan brought out her hinamatsuri ningyou. They are so pretty! I like them better than the ones I saw because their faces are prettier. She has three sets; the royal couple (made by her okaasan from fabric), three priestesses (I like their clothing the best), and a smaller, simple ribbon-like royal couple. I was surprised when she said her mother made them because they look so perfect. The couple is made like stuffed animals (the clothing is not actual clothing, but the outer layer of the stuffed doll) and the faces are porcelain. The priestesses are old (okaasan thinks they’re cute, but not pretty because of this) and have instruments made from metal. They wear the traditional white shirts and red hakama. Their faces and hands are porcelain and very dainty (for lack of better word). The simple fabric couple looks like pouches of kimono fabric. I asked okaasan what they were because I didn’t see the faces, which are tiny balls of white fabric on top. Okaasan said she has a whole set (with the stairs, I think) but that she doesn’t want to bring them out because putting them back is a pain. I was really grateful that she brought them out for me (since she wouldn’t have otherwise).

I think I’ve figured out what I will give up for lent; English. Obviously, I can’t give it up completely (or I couldn’t write this blog), but I think I can give it up enough to make it a sacrifice. I use English when I speak with my American/English/Australian/Polish/etc. friends (which is often), so it will be a challenge. There are a few times when I will need to use it, but otherwise, I will try to eliminate it until Easter. Thus, my resolution is to use only Japanese except when; writing my blog, required by professors/course structure, dealing with important official matters (such as bill payment and NCSU), writing (online) to people who don’t speak Japanese, and emergencies (yet to be experienced).

P.S. Japanese people’s legs fall asleep too when they sit as Japanese people do. My friends John and Yoshi can do it without their legs hurting, but Matt’s host father has asked him to kick his legs so they would wake up (after sitting like that) and today, I saw okaasan get up from sitting at the computer and she audibly said itatatatatatata (itai) while limping to the door.