Japan

It has been officially been about a year since summer break started for me a year ago in Japan. When summer break began, I had so many thoughts about wanting to quit my exchange program and come home early. I now sit before you a year later and all because of a song I hear, and it brings back deep thoughts of Japan. I think of all the beautiful things that I saw there. I begin to think about the start of a daily routine. It's 5:30 and the alarm clock goes off. It is time to go for my daily walk next to the beautiful Pacific Ocean and walk for 2 hours straight, quite unaware of how to hardly speak any Japanese at all. I run into the same faces daily and most of the time in the same spot. They smile at me and just ramble off in Japanese all these things that I do not understand, and then once they finish they smile and bow and go along their way. As I continue to walk, I look East and begin to see another one of the most breathtaking sunrises I have ever seen in my life and become thankful that God has blessed me with another day of seeing his wonderful creation every day. After two hours have passed, I have walked my 10 kilometers and am back in my apartment ready to shower for school in a shower only half my body can stand in because it is so tiny in an apartment the size of a storage room. Now I sit here in an office bigger than my apartment most likely. I get ready and hop on my bicycle. A bicycle I couldn't ride halfway to school on until a month after living there. I ride my bike to school as I listen to my loud headphones playing some sort of Japanese music. Everywhere I look some Japanese is suprised to see some foreigner using a bicycle for transportation and after riding for about a kilometer or two, I arrive at Ibaraki Christian University. I greet may favorite security guard as he smiles and bows as I drive my bike through the gate and continue down the path of the school. I see many of my friends walking left in right and everywhere in front of me. It is great because they are all smiling and just seem so warm and inviting. It is the moment I have been waiting for since I left school the previous day. I am thrilled to see all of my friends and to talk with them and see them smile and laugh once again. I make my way on up to building 5 as I talk to all my friends on the way and prepare for Patrick's class. I park my bike and start walking to building 5. I look to my left before entering the building and see all my friends who smoke sitting in the smoking area, trying to get in one last cig before there 90 minute class. I visit with them and then head into the building. I walk in the building and see so many of my different friends and begin to walk up the stairs as I walk into Patricks classroom. I open the door and see Megumi, Ayaka, Chinami, Wataru and many others as I take a seat and they all greet me with kindness and excitement. A few minutes later, Patrick comes in the front door part of the classroom and begins his class. He asks everyone about their weekend and then we begin the class. After about 30 minutes, Shieri shows up late and Patrick isn't so happy. After all the class has occured, it is time to go to Lindsay's class. We go to Lindsay's class as I sit near the office door and sit by Chinami,Ayaka,Shieri and some others. Mos the time Chinami brought me bread from her workplace. Class begins and Lindsay begins to do her vocab slang words from LOST. All the students fill them out and door vocabulary exercises and then we watch an episode of LOST. Once we finish the episode, it is time for lunch. I walk across the lawn and to the cafeteria. The lawn is filled with real big trees unlike the ones OC has. I walk into the cafetera and begin to see many more of my Japanese friends. I got to the co-op store and buy my usual: 2 Egg Sandwhiches, Water and one Tuna onigiri. If they don't have any of those things, I head into the cafeteria and buy katsu kare. If you are readng this I will continue more later.