Summon More Ziggurats

Today I got Swedish pancakes for dinner, my host family really is the best. It really is too bad that I will have to leave them next Saturday.

I think I'll describe my host family in greater detail right now and go with the school stuff later, it'll be easier for me then.


My host mother is a nice lady in her late thirties, she told me to call her Emiko-san, and not oka-san (she's too young to be my mother). Her English is far from perfect but just good enough to understand what I mean when my Japanese vocabulary doesn't last.

The father is rarely home, his job description was simply "office worker" on the family information sheet, and he is staying true to that stereotype. He does seem like a good guy too, judging from the few times I've met him.

Something I also must comment on is the area we live in.

You remember that time back in sixth grade when you were in the school library and supposed to do something but ended up looking in a book with pictures from the Japanese nature and were mindblown by the pictures of incredibly vegetated hills with clouds flowing down the valleys in between?

You do? Holy shit, get out of my memories!

Anyways. This place is just like that, built in a valley with green hills on the sides and clouds in between, it's awesome. I can't believe this place is actually part of Tokyo.

The home itself isn't bad at all either. It spans half of the first floor in a 3-story apartment, it's actually pretty roomy (however there are children's toys taking space everywhere, they must be more spoiled than Dudley in Harry Potter).

So my days here are pretty simple. Wake up at six, get up at 6.05 when the goddamn snoozer starts, Eat breakfast, usually egg with ketchup on it (okaaay...) and toast with jam (not homemade, not poisonous), take a shower, brush teeth, use the ill-sized "American" toilet (strange fact they don't tell you about Japan; the squares on the toilet paper are like half as thick as those back home, so you need to use twice as many squares as usual and try not to rip them apart while you pull it out of the dispenser, it's actually quite annoying), change from pajamas to real clothes, decide which T-shirt to use for the day (emotional black or daring red? hm...), get the bag and put on the hat, say "Ittekimaaaaasu~" and go out the door (remember to put shoes on beyond the shoeline before exiting) and head for the station, stand at the red light 1 minute later and curse your bad luck, arrive 3 minutes later at the station and use the awesome month-card (that was bought on the day of visiting school) that had only cost 7000 yen, take the second train for Tokyo (first one is always full), take a seat (preferably at the end of the row) and try to gain some makeshift sleep from the coma that always comes with the Japanese trains, come back to life when the words "Mitaka" are uttered from the speakers, squeeze out of the vehicle between the masses of people when the train arrives at Kichijouji (try saying that three times in a row), keep with the flow and start walking towards school, pass the Book Off to the left (there is a Book Off at the station near my school, thank you god), stand at the massive red light and then move towards the alley with all the weird stores and foreign restaurants (I want to try eating at "Der König" sometime), go down the stairs with broken steps, pass the vending machines and the place where all street performers hang out, start walking on the bridge, look at the huge fishes (like this big *arms held wide*), the swan boats, the pretty lake and keep an eye out for the turtle (live turtles are awesome by default), get to the stairs with the far too wide steps (you have to like, take one and a half step each time, it's a pain for the legs), go through the house area, pass under the black gate (it's massive and imposing), go into the alley to the right of the konbini, proceed towards the forest and walk through the trail there, watch what might be happening on the open area to the right (usually some kids running about), exit the forest and keep a straight line until the road is reached, pass the road and enter school, remember to ignore to use the disinfectant spray on hands (it stinks and nobody does it anyway), get to the locker located on the top floor on the other side of the school and leave stuff, hear the bell ring and do school stuff, when school is over, get home.

Oh, apparently they aren't simple at all.

Well I successfully avoided writing about school today too, next time, I promise.

Unless I make my promises like Sora (and therefore won't get back to you until about a year has passed... God I love Kingdom Hearts)

Be back tomorrow, I hope.