Stranger Danger Part III : The Conclusion (hopefully)

Ok so after the incident that occured in part II, that guy raised the bar to a whole new level of creepiness. He kept calling and left a bunch of voice messages for me all week. So I got curious and actually listened to one of the messages and it was a little unsettling. To be blunt, he said he loves me and used the word 恋人. Ewwwies!

I tried to let him down easy prior to this by saying I had a boyfriend, but to that he responded by saying to keep it a secret from my boyfriend, what a great guy huh? When he asked if he could continue calling me I told him it's not good to call me anymore because it's expensive. So then he asked for my address so that he could mail me letters... O_o yea I'm not falling for that one. I've already removed my name from the door and was very tempted to put my name on room 303.

Luckily a friend of mine was kind enough to pretend to be my boyfriend and call the guy up and yell at him in Japanese. I had to admit that was pretty amusing and should've been done a long time ago. I haven't gotten a single call from him yet. Thank you Japan for teaching me how creepy men can really be.

弓道クラブに入った

Joined Kyudo Club (Japanese Archery) 2 weeks ago and I totally love it! It's the first time I've ever really participated in a school sport. The people there have been super kind and helpful to us. I would highly suggest all future study abroad students to join a club or circle because it's a great place to practice your Japanese and meet awesome people. I regret not joining sooner, especially during the Fall Semester.

Kyudo is really fun and I want to be able to get good enough to practice on the shooting range before I return home. Right now we are on bows, we've moved up from the "stick and string". It's a little challenging because though the bow itself isn't heavy the force of the draw string is and you must maintain absolutely perfect form in the process. Everything has to be まっすぐ！まっすぐ！(straight) that word has become permantly etched into my brain now.

I have a feeling I'm going to have giant beefy arms by the end of this semester from practicing Kyudo. Maybe that will help even out the proportions of my thunderous thighs... my Thighs of Thor!

Stranger Danger Part II

So yesterday I went on a dinner date with that guy from the supermarket. Don't worry! a friend came with me! At first everything was fine, until he asked if he could come to my room to play... yeaaaaaa.... no. And then after dinner he offered us money, I heard him mention 五千円 which is about $50. Let me tell you guys, nothing in this world makes a lady feel more like a princess than when she's offered cash money after a dinner date. That's so very classy. And no we did not accept the money, that would've been a very whorish thing to do.

Concert 2009

I was finally able to see Gackt live in concert. It means a lot to me because 8 years ago I was in the 9th grade daydreaming of how amazing it would be to see him in concert.

It was more than just a concert for me, seeing Gackt was something I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do and as the years went on, it seemed more and more unlikely to ever happen.

But hearing his voice echo throughout that concert hall made this whole study abroad experience in Japan feel more real and for that I am entirely grateful of life playing out the way it did. Both the good and the bad things that happened in my life has brought me to where I am today, which is exactly where I want to be.

Stranger Danger!

A couple days ago I was doing some grocery shopping and all of a sudden this guy looks at me, then does a double take and then proceeds to profess his love for me. Dead serious. I look at him confused and started looking around for hidden cameras thinking this must be a joke. I never expected Japanese guys to be so straightforward.

Is this normal? Back in the States random strangers never came up to me and professed their undying love. It is flattering and creepy at the same time, it would've been a little less creepy had he not suggested to go to an onsen together.

Long awkward story short, we exchanged numbers and will probably go get dinner next Sunday.

I'm not good at saying no! What's the harm, right? right!? It'll be a good chance to practice my conversational Japanese.

I hope I don't end up at the bottom of Oita River... haha.. hah..

I forgot to mention that this all happened in the alcohol section. Curse that delicious green tea sake!

3 Weeks in Vietnam (March)

Returning to Vietnam after 19 years is quite an adventure. It was the first time I experienced culture shock, and it was in my own homeland. Everything was just so different and I was totally caught off guard. I think what got me the most was the lack of toilet paper. This may sound silly but I actually have nightmares about unclean toilets that are either clogged or overflowing, and especially toilets that don't flush properly. I'm super anal about clean working toilets, no pun intended - just kidding I love poop jokes. To make it worse, I ended up getting a stomach virus which was very uncool given the toilet situation.

Being in VN and visiting my relatives made me realize how undeniably American I really am, and will always be. Growing up in America you naturally develop certain levels of expectations for things such as sanitation and it's difficult to adjust so drastically to Vietnam's sanitation level (or lack thereof).

If you go to Vietnam, bring toilet paper and anti-bacterial soap! and don't drink the tap water unless you want the muddy-buddies to pay you a visit.