04/14/2019
Hey guys!! I had my midterm presentation this past Friday. It went really well! Initially, I felt like I did an awful job but I know that I am typically too hard on myself. My boss and tutor told me that I did a "great job" so I was really encouraged by that. I was pretty nervous. It was a 30 minute long presentation, but it took me 35 minutes. I do think that I spoke too fast though. I need to speak slower for the Japanese to understand my English well so I will try to do that next time. I had a little bit of trouble answering a few of the technical questions, but I think it wasn't such a big deal. Now that my first midterm report is over, I will be working on programming again for another two months. My next midterm report will be in June. After work on Friday, I went to an international party with some interns that work at ATR. It was pretty cool to be in a place with a bunch of people from all over the world, even if I figured out that most of Canada and Europe tend to not like America. I'm not really sure why...but I mean I love the USA so it doesn't much matter. I walked home from the party late by myself, not getting home until 12:30. Don't worry, Libby and Dana talked on the phone with me until they were sure I was safe. Japan is fairly safe over all, so I wasn't all that worried.
Early on Saturday, I watched Skyfall (a James Bond Movie) with Alex! As always, I enjoyed spending time with him even if it is from 6000+ miles away. Later in the morning, Diego, Terry and I went to the Kyoto Botanical Garden. It was so p retty! There were tulips, sakura (cherry blossoms), bamboo, bonsai trees, orchids and a lot of other plants that I cannot even name. They had a rose garden, but none of them were in bloom which was pretty disappointing because they're my favorite. We ended the afternoon by walking near the river in Kyoto and stopping for Indian food. It. was. so. good. The curry was sweeter rather than spicy, which tailors more to my palate. Once I got home, I cleaned my apartment. As lame as it sounds, it's pretty relaxing for me.
Today is Palm Sunday, where we celebrate Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. We took communion at church today. It pretty much rained all day. It seems like the only weather in Japan is rain. I did talk to two Japanese high school girls. I tried to practice my Japanese, but it was pretty bad. They were so sweet and kind though and I really appreciated that they sat down and talked to me. I have been trying to make my plans for Golden Week, which is usually a week long vacation. This year, it is especially long because of the new emperor. I will let you know my plans once I decide! Sorry this week has been super low key, but I hope you enjoy the pictures from the botanical garden!
