So let’s start the week off on last Friday, the 4^th of November. I went out with a group of teachers from a few of my schools to this restaurant/bar. At first I thought I had been forgotten, because an hour had passed and no one had come to pick me up... and they didn't have my phone number. >.< But they finally found me! Yay! It was fun to hang out with some people near my age, although I only understood about half of the conversation. I also keep forgetting that people here would rather be younger than they look, not older. Like right now in the states, everyone would always say I look 16... and in America looking younger when you are still in your 20's is a bad thing. But here, if you are 22 and someone says you look 24 it is a bad thing. I had no idea there was a real difference between 22 and 24.

On Saturday I drove to the nearby town of Iwaki, which is a port town. I really wanted to see the ocean because I haven’t seen it sense early August. I did see it just a tiny bit when I volunteered in Miyagi prefecture (more on that later), but I didn’t get to see it up close. It didn't help though that I had just read a book centered around a lighthouse and an evil sea, so I was just a bit creeped out. >.>

On the windy mountain roads there, I was awe-inspired by the beautiful fall foliage. I mean, whole hills are bathed in the most brilliant and varied reds, oranges, and yellows. And the hills that are partially landscaped with evergreen trees are beautiful as well, as the green is a stark contrast to the reds and oranges. The reds are blood red, and the yellows are so bright it looks as if they are glowing. If you ever come to visit Japan, please do so in late fall. I will take pictures soon.

So in Iwaki I first visited a temple designated as a world heritage site. I guess it was a combination of bad directions on my part and bad signs on the city’s part, because I drove around in circles for about an hour and a half. I almost gave up like three times, but I was proud when I finally found it. The temple wasn’t that interesting sadly, but the park was beautiful.

Next, off to a lighthouse… that was closed! YAY! It would be great if websites would be updated, but oh well. I got to see the ocean and… the destructive power of the ocean. Along the coastline on the way to the lighthouse there was extensive tsunami damage. They even had police blocking streets still. When I was returning back to the bypass, in the distance I could see a hollow in a rock on the beach, and on the other side there was still wood debris littering the rocky shore.

My final stop was an aquarium. It was a beautiful place, and very well designed—almost like a theme park ride. There was a route you followed, so you didn’t have to backtrack or feel as if you missed something. At least half of the aquarium was made up of… how do I explain it, habitats? They reconstructed habitats similar to those in Japan and Asia, and placed the fish you would find in such places inside the habitats. They also had a baby seal! So cute! And puffer fish! I was also happy because I found a whale shark postcard. (If you didn’t know, whale sharks top the list of my favorite animals.)

Sunday I didn’t do anything. Saturday was a LONG day, so I didn't do… well… anything.

Tuesday I had a great time making tonjiru (pork and vegetable soup) and onigiri (rice balls) with one of my schools! I made particular good friends with a first year, Maki-chan. Maki-chan is a little, um...shy, so she usually ends up just staring at everyone else doing stuff. And she doesn't really talk, lol. (Although when I asked her age she said she was six.) I made sure she got to squeeze some tofu into the soup, and I helped her put nori on onigiri and umeboshi inside a few. We also sat together when we ate and also during the presentation the classes made. All the stuff they used to make the food they had either raised or picked, so they shared a bit of their experiences and had quizzes. Loved just being able to relax.

At my afternoon school I had some major laughs, thanks to my 5th and 6th year class. One kid in particular is like the class clown, but he makes me laugh, so I only yell at him a bit. We were learning subjects, and I had split the kids into two teams, and the person from each team would run over to the center desk where cards were face down and have to pick out whatever subject I had said. So the class clown, named Keigo (who also had earlier insisted on his team's name to be Keigo, which I in response just named them team 1 and 2) is up and I say "math". He runs over, picks up all the cards in one soup, then turns around and is like "now what is it?" while the other kid is searching. Come to find out, the only card he did not put down before he turned around was the math card, so he won my default. They drive me nuts sometime, but I do love them! ♥

On Wednesday I went to the market and saw... STRAWBERRIES! To my dismay, they were tiny AND expensive. A pack of reasonably sized berries was 780 yen, making each strawberry roughly 67 cents. *sigh* Oh California, I miss you sometimes.

On Thursday I had SO MUCH FUN attending a music class with 1st graders. We first did a warm up where the teacher played a song and we ran around the room, and when it got to certain point we found someone and did rock-paper-scissors with them. The looser would have to grab onto the winner as they ran around. It ended with a whole train of people. (It was hard to keep up with six 6-year-old boys. XD) We then sang the do-re-mi song in Japanese, and they played some music on their pianicas. (Plastic pianos-like instruments that you also have to blow into.) Then we did this song about a grandpa trying to pull out a huge raddish, and people slowly add on, like the grandma, grandchild, dog, cat, and mouse. (Can you guess which one I was?) It was a very awesome fun time.

A couple of weeks ago I helped pick, wash, and package vegetables with the same school's 1st and 2nd years. I had free time so I decided to go have some fun outside. The next day the kids sold all their vegetables at a stand down the street. I, of course, got to take away some as well. ^ ^

Today (Friday) it has rained all day. Over the past couple weeks I remember it raining at night, but never during the day. I personally welcomed it, as I thought it made the air feel a little bit warmer. This week the temperature has seemed to become very cold. I exercise every day after school, and on Wednesday it was so cold I actually ran to keep myself warm. (And I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and pants.) I think the low for today is 40-something, but the low for next Tuesday I believe is one degree above freezing.

Luckily I have my very warm duck down comforter! This thing is amazing. :)