Well that was awsome. It was, really. But the downside was that every time I wanted to open my mouth I suddenly forgot all my japanese. I mean I heard it and I understood it, but my head suddenly kicked into "ultra white american kid mode" and I forgot damn near everything I knew. Then, suprisingly enough, what do you know? I remember everything. I look at the stuff that mind boggled me before I left and I suddenly knew exactly what it said and was. Then I remembered all the things I wanted to say and how to say them when I got back home. DAMN IT.

Then there was a moment 'whoa' when I found out that I was Masaaki's home, yes the same Masaaki from Japanese class that helps Bang-sensei. Yep. I wonder if Sensei knew about that?

Anyway, beyond that, I had a really good time. We had lunch and it was really cool and delicious. There was this sakura rice dish that had shredded egg, cucumber,seaweed, and had this layer of pink rice and it was really really really good. It was kinda like sweet rice. Then there was sashimi, tempura (shrimp, eggplant, and pumpkin), redbean rice, egg cubes(really big chunks of cooked scrammbled eggs cut into rounded rectangles), and this fish roll of fish on the outside and ham or cucumber on the inside. It was really good.

Also, I realized, I had really nothing to say during my self introduction. It wasn't that I didn't know how to say something, it was more of 'What do I say now????' moment.

Ummm.....there was also a moment where I had to get all dressed up in a kimono (or what is a yukata...I can never tell the difference). And it was general consensis that my boobs are just to big. Meh. But on the bright side, I learned how to cheat on the bow part of the wrap thing around my waist. Make a bow on another peice of the same type of fabric, put it on a metal stick, and then just stick it on the back. Also remember to attach ribbons to it so that you can tie it your front and not have it fall off.

Oh and there was caligraphy. I know didn't spell that right just now. Appearntly, even in Japanese my name comes back to birds. They had translated my name something to the effect of 'Wings (of a bird) Origin from Silk'. It a nice name, really, the whole idea of silk wings. I like it. I just wish my last name wasn't Vogel right now.(It's German for Bird(s))

Oh, and we had arrived about a half an hour early to the house and that was just funny. We didn't drive up to the house 30 minute early, we kinda jut drove around ten minutes of it (of which I commented I was really very close to Cheryl's house), and then parked in a neighborhood across from it and sat there fro about 20 minutes. We all kinda contimplated why Bang-sensei have us get there at 10:30 while Bob made jokes about what was going to happen.