graduation, the weekend, etc.

On Friday I went to a graduation ceremony at my smallest school. The day was a bit more relaxed than I thought it would be although I was happy when the actual ceremony was over and I could talk with the students, parents, and teachers that were there. Of course there were old men on bikes who were chatting away with me in Awa-ben (the regional slang for this part of Japan), not realizing that I can only make out a few words if I'm lucky. I'm used to this though and can usually respond somewhat accordingly. After the ceremony, I got home earlier than usual so I took a walk around my neighborhood and enjoyed some of the warm air and then watched (and loved) the movie Into the Wild. I've read that foreigners' spirits (in Japan) are generally pretty high when the weather improves, but I think that's true for most people that have to deal with winter temperatures.



I also went on my first off-road bike ride of the season and discovered some great trails right by my apartment. While riding I noticed a lot more of my neighbors outside mostly to prep their gardens and fields for the growing season. I remember how green the rice fields were back in August and I'm looking forward for seeing that again...it sure beats having those fields be so bare during the winter.



Well, it's Monday and I'll be on a plane to Auckland, NZ in three days. As with my other trips that I've taken while living here so far, the fact of the matter really hasn't hit me yet. I know that it's going to be very different to be in an English-speaking country but I'm pretty sure it won't take long to get used to my native language being spoken all around me. Wow, it's sure a lot easier to plan things when you don't have to navigate your way between languages. I hope the fall leaves are still in full effect when Caitlin and I make the drive through the country (which is about as big as the state of Colorado, by the way) and hopefully we'll notice all of the sheep that frequently cross the roads. Well we're both from western Pennsylvania so I think that we're used to avoiding deer anyway...

OK Chris, here are some pictures of my apartment. I've got three rooms- a kitchen, living room and a bed room. All of the rooms are separated by sliding doors and in two of the rooms I have tatami (woven straw) mats as the floor. My futon is folded up every day and put in the corner and at night I unroll it onto my floor and sleep. My computer is in the living room and I've got a balcony with a washing machine on it (yep, it's outside) and my clothes are hung to dry outside after they're washed. It took me a few months to get my place the way I wanted it but it definitely feels like home now.