Last Goodbyes

Saying goodbye to Japan and all of my friends and family there was every bit as hard as I thought it would be, if not more so. Thursday morning, after I had put the finishing touches on my packing, my host mother and I walked around to her friends' houses in the neighborhood so that I could say good-bye and thank them again for the various gifts that they have given me.

At 9:30 we left for the train station, just the two of us. My host dad had to work and Midori had school in the morning. Our conversation was on good books that we had read, and it felt as if this was just the beginning of another adventure, not the end of a chapter of my life.

At the train station we went to a kiosk that sold beautiful obento lunches and my host mom bought one for me for the train ride home. We found my platform, along with the other YFU students staying in Sendai. Midori managed to make it to the train station right before I left so that we could say our last goodbyes.


We managed to take a few last pictures before tears started falling. We shared our favorite memories, the baseball game Mimi and I went to, afternoon tea with my host mother every day, the trips to Matsushima.... At the end my host mother said a little speech in her broken English about how she knows I will be able to accomplish great things, how she hopes that I will be able to go to Oxford someday, and how she knows I will one day be able to help with world peace. Her words made be break down in a fresh stream of tears and for a moment all I could do was bury my face in a tissue. I told Mimi and my host mom that when they come to America they must come and stay with my family, and then the train called for final boarding.

The train ride to Tokyo was two hours, and then there was another one-hour train ride to Narita Airport. At the airport I met up with many of the other YFU students. It was an extremely bittersweet reunion, with exciting tales of our adventures in Japan, and our sadness at having to leave after what seemed like such a short time. Everyone was talking about the huge earthquake the previous night. It sounded as though nearly everyone had felt the shaking in some form or another. No one seemed to be any closer to the source of it then Sendai though.

After a 10-hour flight to San Francisco, a three-hour layover, and another three-hour flight to Denver (we circled above the airport for an hour as we waited to land) I was finally home.

Earthquake #183746548

Yikes that was terrifying! I've grown used to the feeling that you're on a plane that is experiencing a bit of air turbulence - it happens at least once a week here - but this was different. This time it didn't stop after a minute. This time everything in my room was shaking so hard that it looked like it was about to fall over. My hands are still shaking from it. What in the world must a REAL earthquake feel like? o_o

My Last Night In Japan

Well, this is it. My calendar claims it's been six and a half weeks, and I wouldn't believe it if it weren't for the fact that YFU has been sending me endless reminders that they are indeed dragging me back to America at exactly 11:21 tomorrow morning.


For my last night in Japan, my host family took me to a kaiten-zushi restaurant. Conveyor belt sushi. It was so much fun. You sit at a bar which has a conveyor belt of sushi going round and round, and you take whatever you fancy, and then the waiter counts up your empty plates at the end.

I discovered my new favorite sushi. 辛子明太子.


I think I cleaned up pretty well. =D

...Oh all right. They're not all mine. A couple of them are my host mom's.

After the kaiten-zushi restaurant, we came home and I expected that that was it. When we walked into the house though, Midori pulled out two huge packages of sparklers and said "Alexa! Shall we light fireworks?!" Two of her friends from across the street arrived a couple minutes later and the four of us spent the entire evening playing with sparklers, and using them to burn our names onto the asphalt road. It was so much fun. At that point the thought of leaving really seemed surreal. This place truly has become like a second home, even in the short time period of six weeks, and the thought of leaving it is heart-breaking.

Tomorrow is that dreaded day when I have to say good-bye to everyone here that I have come to love so much, and then I have over 24 hours of traveling to get back to Colorado, including two train rides and two airplanes. Funfunfun.

ZaoMet's

I just got back from an overnight stay with my host mom and obasan at ZaoMet's - a hot springs spa, or onsen. It was so amazing! I don't even know where to begin.

The drive took a couple of hours, through mountains, and forests. We finally drove off onto a little side path which wound it's way through about a mile of trees, and then finally arrived at the onsen. We deposited our shoes by the door, put on slippers, checked in, and then went up to our room. It was a small traditional Japanese-style room with tatami mats and sliding doors and a low table in the middle of the floor surrounded by cushions. There was a window that looked out over a breathtaking view of the forest and the river beyond. In the closet were yukatas which we changed into and then sat down to have tea.


After tea, we took our first visit to the hot baths. I'd kind of been a bit uneasy about this since I arrived in Japan - trying an onsen - because onsens = no bathing suites. Not a problem for most of the world, but a bit unsettling for an American. Actually it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. And the onsen was wonderful.

There were actually three separate hot baths, two indoors, one for men and one for women, which would periodically switch, and then one outdoors. You enter, remove your slippers, there's a small area with cubby holes for clothing, then you enter through another door where you shower before finally entering the hot springs.

We returned to our room to relax for a couple hours before going downstairs for dinner. Dinner was quite a surprise. When I imagined what kind of dinner would be served at a "spa" (as my host mom kept calling it) I pictured some sort of nice light healthy meal. What I didn't expect was a huge ten-course feast. I'm not even exaggerating. I have the menu to prove it. I didn't think it was even possible to eat that much. They just kept serving plate after plate after plate, until I thought I was going to explode.


One of the larger dishes was served with a knife and fork, which was an incredibly welcome sight. I'm the kind of person who always eats with a knife - none of that silly cutting food with your fork business. It doesn't work. I haven't used a knife and fork in six weeks though, and it took me forever to get reacquainted with the silly things. It was kind of sad actually. I finally gave up the attempt and went back to using my chopsticks.


After the tenth and last dish was finally served (I was plenty full after the second one), we went back to the hot baths. The men's and women's baths had switched by this time, and I walked in to find a much larger pool. It was gorgeous. The entire room was dark tiled, there were floor to ceiling windows looking out over the dusk setting over the green mountain forests, and the hot springs stretched the entire length of the long room.

The next morning I got to try the outdoor springs. It was the greatest experience - the brisk morning air, the stone pool surrounded by nothing but dense green trees, and then the water which was hot enough to make your head spin. They even had the sugegasa hats which were adorable and tons of fun to try on.

A Small Summer Festival

Today Midori, one of her friends, and I, went to a small summer festival put on by an elementary school. The big three-day summer festival that Sendai is famous for - the Tanabata Festival - doesn't happen until right after I leave.


It was so much fun walking around in our yukatas, eating cotton candy, and playing all the various games. There was a traditional dance that everyone did, and about the third time going around the huge circle, someone came up and put a fancy origami award of some kind around my neck. Apparently I had won the yukata competition. lol. Not that my yukata isn't gorgeous, but I have a suspicion it was more the fact that I had blond hair and dared to even wear a yukata to their festival that they gave me the award for. It was all very entertaining. I got to go up on the podium and speak. In Japanese!

Korean Food

When I get home I'm learning how to make Korean food. It was amazing! AND SPICY!!! :'D I don't know why it's not more popular in America.


Yes, we went to a Korean restaurant for lunch today. The picture is of my host dad and Midori sitting at the table which had a hole full of coal in the middle. Very strange. I was so excited to actually have something spicy that I forgot to take any other pictures. The Jjigae and Toppoki were incredible though.

Last Day at Shirayuri

Back row: Yu, Alexa, Miracle, --, Hiromi; Front row: Mayuko, Keiko, Chihiro

Today was my last day at Shirayuri Gakuen High School. It was so sad. I've made so many amazing friends there, and hugging them all goodbye today (I don't care if the Japanese don't believe in hugs - I insisted on hugging all of them) was one of the most bittersweet experiences ever. I really don't know how I managed to get through the entire school day without crying. It wasn't until I was walking home in the pouring rain that I really broke down.

So last night after dinner my host mother said "Alexa! I have idea!" And then she proceeded to carry a huge plastic bag into the room filled to the brim with washcloths with Minnie Mouse, and Miss Bunny, and the Aristocats on them. Gifts for each and every one of my 39 classmates. So then I was up till midnight wrapping them and handwriting letters to everyone.

The walk to the bus stop this morning was no different then usual, except that it was extremely gray and rainy out. For being in the middle of the rainy season, we have had a staggering amount of sunshine. Funny that the gray skies and thunder should hold out till my last day of school, the beginning of the end.

I got off the bus and my two little primary school friends came running after me as usual, calling "Onesan! Onesan!" in thier adorable sing-song voices. They gave me goodbye letters, and we took pictures, and now I will never again see the two little girls who put such a huge smile on my face every morning.

The morning proceeded with normal classes; lunchtime came and many of my classmates gave me more letters and gifts; I got to go to the teacher's office to say formal goodbyes to everyone; I met, and said goodbye to the principle, who gave me a pendant of the Virgin Mary, or maybe it's just a nun, I can't really tell; I took pictures with all of my friends; was given even more gifts, and letters; attended the closing ceremonies for their meager 20-day summer break; and then went back to the homeroom for the final minutes of school.

Midori, Akane, Alexa

I was called to the front of the class, and presented with this, which is signed by everyone, and made me realize all over again just how much I really will miss them all. I gave them all their gifts, and then we said our final goodbyes.

Me, and Momoka

Having the opportunity to attend a Japanese high school has been the most incredible experience. It is an experience that I will always look back on with the fondest of memories, and will always wonder at the fact that it was actually five weeks, for it flew by as if it were only five days. The things I have learned and the memories that I have come away with are irreplaceable, and my only regret is that it couldn't last longer.

Yukatas

Sunday evening my host mother's younger brother invited us to a fancy sushi restaurant for dinner, and Midori asked me if I thought we should wear our yukatas. I agreed immediately. My host mom bought me a yukata my first week here and I hadn't had a chance to wear it yet, and was eager to see what it was like.

Yukatas are extremely difficult things to wear, and so we had to start getting ready an hour before we left. It is a very complicated process. The right side has to be folded over first, otherwise it signifies death. then you have to pull it up so that the hem just reaches ankle-length, tie the first tie around the waist as tight as possible, fold the excess fabric over the tie, straighten it out so that everything lays flat, make sure that everything in front and back in centered, tie the second tie around the lower chest as tightly as possible, and then the real sash, or obi as it is called. It is wrapped around several times until it is suffocatingly tight and just barely loose enough to let you breath enough to stay alive, and then it is tied in a very complicated and artful way to look like a large butterfly. And don't forget that the entire robe and especially the obi are made out of very stiff cotton so that it is nearly impossible to move.

Okay, I made it sound a bit torturous, but it was actually a lot of fun.


This is Midori and I wearing our yukatas, and behind us are Midori's two cousins - Yoshitomo and Miho. My host dad thought it would be funny to make Yoshitomo and I, boyfriend and girlfriend, so apparently I have a boyfriend now. lolol.


It's my extended host family! I'm not going to remember everyones' names, but I can tell you who everyone is. Back row: host mom's younger brother, his wife, host mom, host dad; Middle row: Midori, Yoshitomo, Miho; Front row: ALEXA!, obachan (host mom's mother), obachan (host dad's mother), and ojichan (host dad's father).

The Ocean

Sunday was yet another incredible day here. My host parents told me that we would be going for a drive, but it wasn't until we were in the car that they actually told me where we were going. Still, knowing the name of the place didn't actually mean anything. After a long drive we arrived at a small bay with a dock, an information booth, and several small motor boats. My host dad bought tickets and then after about a half-hour wait, we boarded one of the small boats. They were just your ordinary motor boats, but even so, the little enclosed area was still covered with tatami mats and cushions to sit on, and a place to remove shoes. I sat next to the only window that was actually open, and after everyone else had taken a seat, we were off!

The scenery was gorgeous - beautiful rock formations and islands jutting out of the water, and caves and trees everywhere. We went through an area with a huge flock of seagulls and opened the windows to feed them. It was amazing; they would fly right up to the boat and eat out of our hands.

When the boat slowed down again my host dad went to the back portion, outside of the enclosed sitting area. I dashed over to join him; the fact that we were on a boat and completely sheltered from the elements was killing me. A couple other people came out to join us in order to snap a few pictures, but then returned to the safety of their tatami mats once the boat started up again. My host dad and I were the only ones left, which I found ridiculous considering I was the one who lives thousands of miles away from any sort of ocean, and there I was the only one not afraid of getting wet.


It was incredible! Until that point, I hadn't realized just how much I really have missed being on the ocean, with the hot prickle of the sun, the cool salty ocean spray, the sound of crying gulls, and the adrenalin rush of riding up and down with the crashing waves. It was amazing. I had the best time. But curse that boat ride for making another hour of my precious time left in Japan pass as if it was mere minutes. lol.

After the ocean, we drove to the small island of Miyatoshima, which is connected to the mainland by a bridge. We parked at the base of a mountain and my host dad told me that the two of us were hiking to the top to see the view. My host mom stayed behind because she was too tired. So we started the ascent, with me wearing high-heeled sandals. It was an incredibly steep hike with a very jagged path and lots of roots to climb around. Every few minutes we would come across another group of sight-seers, standing on the side of the path to catch their breath. I was extremely proud of myself when I reached the top without having stopped once, high-heels and all. It made me wish that I had bought the tshirt I found in Colorado that said "Sea Level is for Sissies".

The view from the top of the mountain was incredible, more so then I ever could have imagined. You could see the ocean in nearly every direction, sparkling in the bright sunlight, the mainland in the distance, and all of the little rock islands scattered everywhere. It was something that a picture could never begin to capture the beauty of. Ever. I only had one small complaint: Of all the silly places to not have a vending machine!

Meysen Kindergarten

Since I arrived here, everyone has been asking me if I have been to Meysen Kindergarten yet. The question seemed a bit odd; yes, my Japanese is very limited and I would probably get more out of kindergarten then out of high school, but still, why is EVERYONE asking that question?

Saturday evening Midori, my host mom, and I went to a YFU meeting for Midori's departure to America. And it was at the kindergarten! Yes, it was very cute but besides the numerous cages of fuzzy little rodents, I did not see anything special about it - until we went outside after the meeting.

Maysen kindergarten had the playground to end all playgrounds. And I'm not even a huge fan of playgrounds. This was incredible though! The slides were monstrous! And there were rock-walls, and monkey bars, and amazing things you've never even seen before, and things that could spin faster then should be possible without being electronic, and then you'd walk a little ways through all the beautiful trees that surround everything and find even more slides and jungle gyms.

Amazingly fun slides. (Let's forget about the fact that I was wearing a skirt)

Jungle gym #17 was hiding in the trees

This was actually even taller then it looks in the picture, and on the other side was a yellow slide which was pretty much just a steep drop.

And they had actual ponies! At a kindergarten!