05/12/2019
This past Friday I intended to meet up with a friend from the USA. She is doing a study abroad trip here in Japan for 2 weeks and was in Kyoto. Unfortunately, it was quite difficult to make it out there on time. Kyoto is about an hour trip from where I live and I don't get off work until 5:30 pm. By the time I got ready and ate dinner, it was already 6:30. I tried checking in, but she wasn't really sure which train station she would be near. To ensure I wouldn't miss the last bus, I would have to leave by 10:30, which basically made it pointless to go. That is one of the annoying things of living in the middle of nowhere. I honestly don't mind it most of the time because it is quiet, peaceful, and beautiful where I live. I ended up sitting at home and watching full house, along with talking with Alex for about an hour before his last final. HE IS FINALLY DONE, thank goodness. I was fairly tired from this past week anyway. It was a little difficult getting adjusted to going to work again everyday after a 10 day vacation. I struggled with tiredness and allergies, which made the week long so having a chill night was well worth it!
On Saturday, I slept in and took like WAY too long to pick out an outfit for the day. It was about 80 degrees and super sunny, a really beautiful day. However, I was going out with coworkers to the movie, so I didn't want to dress too casually but also didn't want to die of heat. Apparently, the Japanese really respect the seasons and don't transition clothing until the season is fully changed, meaning even though it is upwards of 80 degrees on a consistent basis nobody is wearing shorts because it is not summer yet. I am just glad that they wear shorts because I don't know if I could survive the summer in long pants...even though that was exactly what I wore. I settled with black pants, converse and a red tank top with a gray sweater. It was an excellent choice because everyone else was wearing long sleeves and pants too. I don't understand it, but I am doing my best to cope with it.Â
One of our coworkers picked Terry and I up around 12:40 and drove us to the movie theater in his BMW. It was a really nice car and he has only had it for a couple years. He bought both our popcorn and soda, and Danni bought our movie tickets. The people over here are so nice to you and I feel so blessed with their constant kindness. The popcorn and drink come in a tray that sits over your lap that looks like this:Â
It attaches to your cup holder so you can put it over yourself or the person you are sharing it with. It's kinda a neat idea! We saw the new Marvel movie, Avengers: Endgame. I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it, but it was really good! I would definitely recommend it! Terry enjoyed it, but was a little confused because the only Marvel movie he has seen prior to this showing was Spider-man. We actually saw Javier there too, but he didn't talk to us much. Once we finished the movie, we all waited until ALL the credits were finished. I am not sure if it is just a respectful Japanese tradition, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. After exiting the theater, I went to throw my trash away, becoming quickly confused. Apparently, they dump the excess soda into a bin, the popcorn in another, and stack the popcorn bowls and trays in another area. At least, I can fit in more next time. Once the movie was finished, we sorted our trash and drove to a Purin shop (pudding). They had pudding flavored ice cream and other different flavors of pudding in a jar. It seemed to be a very popular place, as we waited in line for about 30 minutes before being admitted to the store. I tried cappuccino purin and it was delicious, even when a huge spider climbed on the wall RIGHT NEXT TO ME. It's fine.Â
Afterwards, we went and picked up Takagi-san to eat dinner at an Indian restaurant, about 15 minutes drive from Omron. I thought that it would be spicy, but it was delicious! They only had one vegetarian curry, which was a baby bamboo curry. It was very good, although I am not sure how Indian it was. It came with naan, a salad, yogurt, and some spicy Indian side dishes. The naan in Japan is presented in a different style than I have ever had in the United States. In the US, it is always cut up in smaller pieces, but in Japan it is just one giant piece. It looks like this:
Sunday was a little busier, but boring. I went to church and the supermarket, which is pretty much every Sunday. After returning home, I cleaned EVERYTHING. Alex is going to visit and wants to see my apartment, so I wanted to make sure it looks pristine. It took me about three hours to wash all my laundry, clean the kitchen, bathroom, and vacuum. Cleaning distresses me, so I actually enjoyed it. However, I was pretty tired once I was finished, so I made dinner and took a nap. I am so excited that Alex will be here TOMORROW, it's almost too hard to believe. I am trying to distract myself with work because I am getting impatient.Â
Work has been really good, but a little slow lately. Everyone seems to be really busy after having a week of vacation, which makes sense. It also doesn't help that I finish work that is supposed to take me 3-4 days in a couple hours, I think I just need to slow down a little bit. I have definitely grown more accustomed to the work environment and I actually really enjoy stretching every morning with everyone! I will admit originally I thought it was pretty strange, but after a while it grew on me. I have become a lot better at programming because I have been doing it almost every day here, even though it is just Matlab. It is definitely the coolest co-op experience that I have had. I mean who gets to go to Thailand for a week on co-op AND live in a foreign country during the entire term? It is still really difficult to be away from everyone, but I am doing my best to enjoy and learn from this experience. Although it has been extremely challenging, it has been equally as rewarding and I am very grateful that I have had the opportunity to be here!Â
