Oct.4/10 Karly update

All of last week we had no classes as we were preparing for the school festival! They have one every three years. What with decorating, cooking, preparing games and a haunted house everone had their hands full. Our classroom was to be a cafe, and they decided to try and make rice krispy squares (which apparently is a North American dish). Before I realized what they were doing they had made something like rice krispy blobs. I helped them with the next batch though (as they stared in awe at my cooking skills) and they turned out all right. Before long the school was covered in streamers and tissue paper and drawings. Unfortunately, I could only go to the first two hours of the festival. (It lasts two days). But, I'm not too torn up about it, seeing as I got to go to Tokyo with my hostmother for the weekend! The first bit of the festival was the opening ceremony. Every class had made a skit, and we got to watch them all. They were hillarious! We went to Tokyo by shinkansen, or bullet train. What would be three hours by car was one hour by bullet train. The reason I got to go to Tokyo is because my host mother had a tea ceremony convention to go to. So I got comfortable in the hotel while my host mother went to a meeting. That night we went to Ginza, the most famous shopping district in Japan. It was heaven. I got a beautiful hat! The next day while my host mother was busy at the hotel, I and her daughter, who lives in Tokyo, went to Tokyo Disneyland!!! We went on all the rollercoasters and I loved them all except Space Mountain, which is in the dark. By the end of the day we were exhausted, and I slept all the way home. Maybe you're wondering about the food. At first my stomache really couldn't handle it and I felt a little off all the time, but I've gotten used to it. Things we eat are a lot of rice (with every meal), pork, eggplant, mushrooms and lots and lots of fish. The other day I saw some black covered pasta on my plate and decided it was just one of those things I'd ask about after eating. Turns out it was a good idea, because the pasta sauce was octopus ink. You know, that stuff they shoot at their enemies. School is starting to fall into routine. People are getting used to my presence here, though I cut my hair short a couple of days ago, and it was almost like the first day all over again. I'm taking chemistry, math, calligraphy, tea ceremony, flower arranging, Japanese as a second language, English, Spanish, music, computers and craft class. Sometimes I have self study periods. School starts at 8:30 and ends at 3:30 or 4:20 depending on whether we have 6 or 7 classes that day. I will be joining the Yosakoi club, which is twice a week to 6:30. Every student has to join a club, and all other clubs practice daily. Yosakoi is a kind of Japanese traditional dance, and I'm eager to show people at home what I've learned. My Japanese is coming slowly but surely. I'm finding that the jumble of sounds is starting to turn into words, so it's easier for me to look things up in my electronic dictionary and I understand more on my own every day. Thank you for all for what this opportunity gas given me so far, and will give me in the future. Karly