1/10/10 Host mom’s house, morning - Hey, hey. I had a spare few minutes so I decided to write a short entry. I slept really well last night. I had two pillows and I could turn off the lights from my bed with a remote control. :3 I got up at 7. The alarm in my room works really well. It goes off normally at first and then if you don’t turn it off right away it starts to get louder and louder until it is screeching like a banshee. I got ready for breakfast, which is at 8 and went down and said hello to my host mom. Breakfast was good: gohan and yomi (rice and seaweed), pork, broccoli and tomato salad, miso soup, orange, banana, and green tea. So far the only beverage at meals is tea. I’m worried about the milk situation.

My host mom asked me if I had brought any skirts. I said no. She asked if I have a boyfriend. I said no. I couldn’t help thinking I was disappointing her a bit. Last night she had talked about her hobby of tea ceremony and asked if I wanted to participate and I said yes because I probably need all the help I can get. She asked if I was comfortable sitting seiza (on the legs, the traditional way of sitting in Japan). I said yes. She said it’s formal so I have to dress appropriately. I showed her the dress slacks and blouse I did bring and she said that was fine. It was weird she said that my blouse might be a little cold so I might need a coat. But she wanted me to wear a skirt, which is a very impractical thing to wear in winter because it would be cold. Here in Japan girls wear skirts; it’s a cultural thing. I won’t be participating in that particular aspect of the culture. I am hoping, though, I can wear a kimono to the tea ceremony, which my host mom mentioned.

She told me that it was laundry time after breakfast so I brought mine downstairs and she showed me how to use her washing machine. I was sooo relieved that I would be doing my own laundry. My French host mom last summer had insisted on doing it herself and I felt so awkward about it. She said it would take about 40 minutes so I went up to my room, realized I should brush my teeth, and then went all the way back downstairs to do so. Then when I got back to my room I started playing with the partitions in my room/rooms. I think I will slowly move one over at a time to eventually make a wall between the two halves of the room. J I had fun with the things for a while and was delighted to discover that the last one had a handle in it so it could serve as a door if you wanted to do the wall thing. :J I then checked my email on my aol account and then started writing this entry. About halfway through my host mom knocked on my door and said my laundry was done. So I went down and she showed me how to hang it up. I have the hooks and stuff in my room on a rack and I just put everything on the hangers and hooks and then take it all out to the balcony and hang it on the designated bars. I have always wanted to hang laundry outside and so I was charmed out of my slippers! :D I came back over here to finish this entry and now I am up to the present. 9:33 (Japan time)