Last weekend in Japan

Sadly, my time here is coming to an end… so for my last weekend in Japan, I went to Kyoto on Saturday and then an onsen (hot springs) on Sunday-Monday.

In Kyoto, I went to the Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), the Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), the Nijojo and some other temples. The Kinkakuji is probably one of more famous structures in Japan. It is a gold-leaf covered temple which enshrines a fragment of bone from the Buddha. There is a phoenix at the top of the pavilion which is said to appear during times of just rule.

The Ginkakuji is just like the Kinkakuji… but not as impressive. Originally, it was supposed to be covered in silver (hence “Gin”) but that plan was abandoned due to financial difficulties of one of the previous rulers.

The Nijojo is famous for its “nightingale floor” which produces a noise similar to a nightingale’s song whenever you step on the floor. The original purpose of the nightingale floor was to warn that in intruder was approaching. And while this is a really smart idea, I think the noise would get annoying after a while…

Anyway, Sunday… went to an onsen resort up in the mountains. It was gorgeous! The place itself was a mix between modern Asian art and tradition Japanese culture. Everything was beautiful. It was so completely and totally relaxing. I took a lot of showers, soaked in hot waters, drank wine and had a really great time… it was amazing We even had a private onsen in our room that was out on the porch with a clear view to the moon.

Tokyo

This weekend was a three day weekend so I went down to Tokyo with Monica. We took an overnight bus down to Tokyo on Friday night. It left Osaka at 11:50 PM and we arrived in Tokyo at 8 AM. I know that may sound like a really long ride but let me tell you, the bus was wonderful! The seats reclined almost all the way, we had a leg rest and foot rest and they gave us slippers. Not to mention the bus was a double decker bus and had refreshments. I sleep soundly that night.

Anyway, we arrive Saturday morning in Tokyo and I called my aunt to pick us up from the train station (which is like 5 minutes walking distance from the house). We went back to the house, dropped off our luggage and then went out again to see the town. The streets were especially busy as people were preparing for the festivals. We went to a nice French restaurant to eat for lunch and then we met my aunt's niece (Asami) at the train station. There, we parted with my aunt and Asami proceeded to play tour guide for us for the day. We went to Shinjuku and Tokyo Tower. Tokyo Tower is fantastic. The view is absolutely gorgeous! I want to go at night sometime.. I'll bet its even better then. You can't jump off though. There are safety nets EVERWHERE.

Anyhow, after Tokyo Tower, we went back to the house where we met my grandmother, uncle and his wife for dinner. We all went out to this fabulous little Japanese restaurants where we all stuffed ourselves silly. It was glorious :) I sat next to my grandmother who would get upset if I didnt eat (but I DID eat- a lot! But she kept missing it so she made me eat more.. ). She's so cute. After dinner, me, Monica, Asami and Asami's little sister went out to karaoke. Oh goodness, it was so much fun. They were impressed with me and Mon trying to sing Japanese music (but we struggled as we can't read the Japanese lyrics yet lol)

Sunday, my grandmother was leaving for the weekend so we spent the morning with her. She really wanted to spend time with us but there wasnt really anything to do... so we went out for ice cream. At 10 in the morning. So yes, I had ice cream for breakfast and it was fantastic (I know, I'm a fatty). After that, Monica and I went to the Asakusa Temple to do some sightseeing and souvenier shopping. Soon after, we went to Shibuya and walked around for a few hours until we met up with my friend from high school (Elton). He showed us some great places around town and then we went to a cafe for dessert. No dinner, just dessert :) Monica and I shared this ginourmous ice cream sundae. Mmmm soooooooooooo good. After that, we did the "purikura" (the little sticker booth things). It was crazy! These sticker machines are ridiculous! You take like 6 pictures and then you get to decorate all of them! It was fun. After that, we went to karaoke again... it was lots and lots of fun. We're totally ridiculous :) But it was a good night.

Monday, we went out to Harajuku to do some souvenier shopping. Needless to say, we bought a lot of stuff and it was kind of awkward trying to bring it all back on the train. We looked like extreme tourists. All we needed was the Fromer's guidebook and fanny pack -_-; Anyhow, we took the Shinkansen back (the Japanese bullet train) so the ride was about 3 hours. The train was pretty neat. The seats were spacious and we got served refreshments on a pushcart (airplane style)... it was cool. The view was fantastic too. Mt Fuji on one side and the ocean on the other.

I finally made it back by 6:45 to my house where I took a shower and fell asleep. All in all, it was a great weekend. I got to see my family and just hang out. I know it might sound a bit boring, but I've done all of the Tokyo stuff before. It was nice just to relax :) Anyhow, that was my weekend.

Smile!

PS Sorry the pics arent as good today. I got lazy... but you can probably see more on facebook or something.

Kyoto

This past weekend, I went to Kyoto with my host mom. Kyoto is the city of waterways, the heart of traditional Japan. Only in Kyoto is it possible to cross paths with a real geisha (or as they are now called... maiko. But actually, they're not really real... people just pay so they can dress up as the geishas to walk around the city and take pictures of themselves so they can be cool. Or hot and sweating as the case may be when I went. And the only people who think they are real are the foreigners) as you stop for a snack at a convenient store.

On Saturday, after walking the streets of old Kyoto, we visited the Kodai-ji Temple which is located in the Higashiyama Mountains. It was established by Kita-no-Mandokoro in memory of her late husband, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (one of the founding fathers of Japan). It's pretty big and has a gorgeous garden of which I am envious and a lot of tea houses... which could have also been converted to a guest house or a place where bad children had to live. There was also a nice bamboo forest/path that led from the tea houses to the main house. It reminded me of how a certain friend of mine used to play "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in his bamboo filled backyard... Lol too bad we can't really do the flying bamboo thing, ne?

We also went to the Kiyomizudera, which is another one of Japan's most popular temples. Its "dancing stage" (which has a fantastic view of Kyoto) stands about 13 meters tall. Kiyomizu means "holy water" in Japanese and by drinking the water from the springs here purifies the spirit and grants one's desires (supposedly anyway). Not sure if it really works, but I gave it a try :) The main hall of Kiyomizudera is notable for its vast veranda, supported by hundreds of pillars, that juts out over the hillside and offers impressive views of the city. The popular expression "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression "to take the plunge". This refers to an Edo period tradition that held that, if one were to survive jumping from the stage, one's wish would be granted. (FYI- Survival appears plausible: The vegetation below the platform might cushion the fall of a lucky jumper.... however the practice is now prohibited. 234 jumps were recorded in the Edo period and, of those, 85.4% survived)


On Sunday, we went to the "Forest of Legends" aka Tadasu-no-mori where the Shrine of Shimogamo-jinja is located. Supposedly, this is a forest where the gods dwell. This shrine is famous for its sacred forest which was used as a model for the movie Princess Mononoke directed by Hayao Miyazaki (also created Spirited Away, KiKi's Delivery Service, Laputa etc.. probably my favorite director). Aside from the guide book's opinion, I thought it was pretty cool. The forest was nice and cool and peaceful. Lots of green... of all sorts of variations. Lots of good energy flowing and keeping you relaxed. Smaller than what I thought it would be however. I was expecting HUGE vast forest... but it was just a litle area of forest. I guess that's what happens when people start to urbanize. Despite that, it was still cool.

After the Tadasu-no-mori, we went to the Kamigamo-jinja which is said to be the oldest shrine in Kyoto. The shrine is dedicated to a deity who appeared miraculously when Tama-yori-hime- no-mikoto, the daughter of Kamo-taketsu-numi-no-mikoto of the ruling clan of Kamo, went to the Kamo river to perform purification ceremonies. At first, the deity was enshrined on a stone altar on top of the peak of Ko-yama. The mountain was regarded as sacred,and therefore later religious rites were performed on pure grounds at the South-eastern foot of the mountain. This shrine was built as Yosai-den in 678 during the reign of the Emperor Tenmu, which became the principal building during the reign or of the Emperor Kanmu in the Heian Period. Its 2 large conical sand mounds supposedly represent Ying and Yang of Taoism. The mounds itself... not that impressive. The travel magazine's pictures were more impressive. But the shrine did have some nice amulets and good luck charms which I bought. They also had a nice creek where you could sit and rest your feet in the running water after doing all that walking. It was very relaxing.

Of course, after relaxing, we relaxed by getting some of the local food- Aburimochi. Aburimochi is made of sticky rice cakes which are cut into finger sized pieces. They are then skewered onto a bamboo stick and dusted with a sweet, toasted soybean flour called kinako. They are then grilled and dipped in a white miso sauce. Eating this sweet has traditionally been regarded as a defense against ill-health and bad luck.

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Saw some sights, got some pictures and got a little cultured. Yep, good weekend.

Keep Smiling :)

PS. If you are reading my blog, you should comment... otherwise I'll think no one is reading and then maybe I won't post anymore.but then again.. i guess that wouldnt be such a bad thing either.. ..

Nara

After school on Thursday, I went to Nara (the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, hence the Nara period). According to the ancient Japanese book Nihon Shoki, the name "Nara" is derived from the Japanese word narashita meaning "made flat". Nara is famous for the tame shiki deer that roam all over the town, and especially in Nara Park. There are about a thousand of them and while they may be tame, they are quite aggressive. Not like the T-zo deer that run away when you try to catch them. These deer run after you... and even steal your lunch/map/clothes! Anyway, according to the legendary history of Kasuga Shrine, a mythological god Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white deer to guard the newly built capital of Heijō-kyo. Since then, the deer have been regarded as heavenly animal to protect the city, and the country (However, I saw one pee, then bend down and lick it to make sure it was his... -_-; so much for "heavenly" animal..)

Anyway, I went to Nara to see the Todai-ji Temple (meaning the Eastern Great Temple). Inside the Todai-ji Temple is the Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall... which is said to be the largest wooden building in the world). And inside that is a HUGE statue of Buddha aka Daibutsu (to provide some perspective, the fingers are the size of a human). Behind the statue is one of the supporting posts of the Daibutsuden. However, this is a special post as it has a hole at that bottom . Supposedly, the hole is said to be the same size as one of the Daibutsu's nostrils. Legend has it that those who pass through it will be blessed with enlightenment in their next life. Children usually have no trouble getting through but adults sometimes get stuck and need to be pulled out... like the one tourist in front of me. He got stuck and so I pushed his legs while the rest of his family tried to pull him out from the other side. It was QUITE amusing. I myself passed through just fine :)

All in all, it was quite impressive. Nara is definitely a cool place of history and should you come to Japan, is definitely a place you should visit. But until then, you can live vicariously through my travel.

Smile :)

PS. I dont know why... but sometimes I can upload pictures, and sometimes I cant... So if you want to see pictures in the meantime, look on Facebook.

My Weekend (part2- Saturday and Sunday)

Saturday was NOT as eventful as Friday (thank goodness!). I got fitted for my yukata (summer kimono) that my host family gave to me. It's purple and gorgeous! Anyhow, after that, I went out to meet Monica in Nanba to do some shopping and whatnot. On the train, I met the trainer/coach for one of the American runners in the Osaka World Track and Field Championships. His name was Herman and he was really nice. Anyhow, Mon-chan and I originally, were going to watch a movie in Nanba but when we got there, we discovered that I had already seen them. So we decided to just walk around and see what there was to do. Which apparently was a lot as we were on the Dotonbori Riverwalk. It's filled with lots of little shops and people and is just fun to walk though. We ended up going to another close by theatre and watching Ratatouille which was amazing. Very cute and apparently a big date movie. And with that, ended Saturday.

Sunday, I went with my family to the Osaka Aquarium where they have a WHALE SHARK. Yea, that's right. A whale shark! So we walked around there and after going to all the exhibits, we went to the department store next door to find lunch. While looking for restaurants to eat at, we found a Ninja store and of coruse, both me and Souma HAD to go in. Is it bad that I had the same reaction of a 4 year old when I saw the store? Lol. The store was really cool. Lots of awesome Ninja stuff (made me want to be a ninja). Then a little further down from the store, was a NINJA HOUSE!! I got to go in even though the 4 year old wouldnt (he was too scared). It was small but cool. Wasn't scary per say (as I didnt really understand the Japanese "scary" voices in the background- they could have been saying I'm going to kill you or something along those lines and I would have been like, "mmm.. yes, could i have some ramen?") but they did manage to surprise us a few times (dark rooms, trap doors, people jumping out of places etc). All in all, it was cool. :)

Anyway, that was my weekend. Hope you enjoyed reading that! Take care!
Smile :)
-J.J.

My Weekend (Friday night)

So let me tell you about my weekend adventure. It started off really great with a Hanshin Tigers' baseball game. Got to the train station on a train completely FILLED with Hanshin Tigers fans. Then we got to the stadium and that was a blast as well. I, of course, bought a jersey and a baseball cap so I looked like a total Japanese fan. Lol, everyone here thinks I'm Japanese anyway and are surprised when I say I'm American and I speak English and Spanish. :) Anyhow, we buy our TIgers goods then head into the stadium... the seats are soooooooooooo small! No leg room whatsoever. Built for Japanese people, even I felt a bit cramped. I felt really bad for the guys I was with.. poor Nick Gardner, the biggest of all of us. He was in pain. Took up like 2 seats lol. Anyway, the game itself was awesome. We won 6-4. I've got to say, the cheering for the Japanese games are intense. These people are the biggest fans I've ever seen (yes, even maybe beating out the Red Sox/Yankees fans). Too bad American fans aren't this enthusiastic.

Anyway, after the game we went back with Nick Burke and Nick Gardner and chilled with Nick Burke's host brother who has an apartment in town. Mmm... lets say... he's a graffiti artist (and he's quite good) and we were passing around ---------------- (ask if you want to know). But fyi, the plastic gives it a funny smell though.. wonder if it has a different effect or now?

Anyhow, after that, we left and I walked my friend Monica back to her train station b/c it was late and I was being a good "wingman." Well, b/c I was her back to her station, I took a different line home. And I thought I would be fine because my host mom showed me how to get back from the close station on that line a few days back. However, when she showed me, it was day time... so, yea... I get to the station and there are 2 different exits. I go out the wrong one of course... and start walking where I think I'm supposed to walk. Nope, I'm completely lost. So then I turn back and I'm standing on the corner lost and some guy (yes, he was young and cute) on a bike comes up to me and he's like, hey, the tigers, did they win? and so I said, yea, 6-4 (in Japanese of course). So then I ask him if he knows where my normal station is. He says ya, straight ahead and he walks with me to the station (he's really nice but nothing happened). Turns out he took me to the station... but the wrong exit. I need exit 7 and he took me to the one that had 1-6 but no 7 (which apparently is on the other side of town.. that I had just walked across). So... I go back to the station, take the right exit and I'm like, oh this is familiar and walk down the right street. Apparently though, I dont take the right turn on the street and I keep walking.. and so I end up on a completely different street. However it is in the right area because I recognized the covered street... but all the shops are closed and there is NO ONE around.. (luckily I'm not one of those frail looking japanese girls so I'm pretty sure I could hold my own if someone tried to mug me or what not... not that that happens alot here, but apparently this part of osaka is "high crimes" area... not really american standard of high crimes though so nothing to really worry about) so I'm walking around on the street looking down every side street and alley trying to figure out where I am... b/c I know I'm close but I have no clue where I am. Anyway... I FINALLY look down the right street and I'm like YES! I know where I am and I was able to get home safe. After 45 mins of wandering the streets of Japan by myself. oy... and I didnt even have a cell phone so I couldnt call anyone. Luckily, I'm level headed and I managed to get home so I guess I'm not completely helpless. I did ask a ton of people where the station was though... so at least my japanese is getting better haha.

Anyway, so I finally get back into my house around 1230ish.. when I told my family I'd be back at 1130 probably. I felt bad cuz the grandmother (who is like my mom's age- people are super young here) was waiting up for me. I came in and was like, I am soooooooo sorry! I just got lost on the streets for 45 minutes! and I explained to her what happened and she was laughing at me. The family probably thinks I'm the biggest moron now lol. so anyway... that was my Friday night. Hope you found some amusement in that! Smile!

- J.J.

Mitarashi Odango

Today in class, we made mitarashi odango, a Japanese snack made of rice flour and soy sauce. It was absolutely delicious and worth the "hard work" we put into making them. It took us about an hour deciphering the Japanese ingredients and measurements. After that, we all went to the supermarket together and ran around trying to find our aforementioned ingredients. Now remember, if you have no clue what the ingredients are (say potato starch or rice flour- and the words product isnt in English), its hard to figure out what you're searching for at the supermarket. Anyway, we finally did get all our stuff and then went back to the school and proceeded to have a cooking lesson in the ways of the "odango." It was pretty fun and I think everyone had a good time. Japanese food is so much fun and tastes so good. Mmm... food :)

Anyway, thats it for now. Tomorrow is a school day so it's bed time for me. Good night or as they say in Japan, "Oyasuminasai"

-Jen

PS I would post pictures, but for some reason, my current internet connection wont let me... if I figure it out, I'll post them

Japan- Land of the Rising Sun

I was planning on posting this a little earlier but for some reason, I thought I only had internet access at the school I'm attending. BUT, when I turned on my computer today, it told me that there was a wireless outlet nearby and I could connect to it. Why I didnt think that I had wireless at the house I'm staying in is beyond me. Because I do. This is Japan... everyone has wireless. Silly me.

Anyway, after 2 1/2 days of traveling I finally arrived in Japan safe and sound, more or less. As soon as I arrived at the airport, I was taken right to school since I already missed the first day (due to the previous mentioned incidents) and a morning. However, they did allow me to take a shower first though at hotel close by (good thing too, because after 1-2 days of not showering.... well, I'm sure I've smelled and looked better) before I was thrown straight into class. Anyway, class is pretty ok. The teachers are nice and we're learning a lot. They don't mind when we ask tangent questions or talk about nonschool related issues. Of course, trying to get our message across to them in broken Japanese/English is always interesting. But, besides that, everyone here is wicked nice and whatnot.

As for my host family, they are also super nice. I live with a son (Souma), a dad, a mom (Mami), her mom (Mama), and her mom's mom (Baba). Everyone is nice and tries to help me learn my Japanese. Mami and Mama always help me with my homework and help me review my day lessons as well. Plus they're always teaching me new Japanese things. I dont see the dad often but that's because he's always working (as in accordance to Japanese culture/society). As for Souma, he for some reason seems to like me. He always crawls into my lap when I'm sitting down or climbs on my back. He also gives me tons of hugs whenever he sees me and kisses and he cries when I have to leave or can't play with him. Sometimes, he can be a brat but for the most part, he's cute and I like him :)

Anyway, that's all for now. Hope you guys are all doing great!

Smile :)

Germany

After being delayed 2x and a nice 9 hr flight, I'm here at the Frankfurt airport in Germany, waiting another 5 hours til my flight to Osaka. The flight itself wasnt too bad (but I'm already seriously jet-lagged. It's 4:00 AM San Angelo time and 11AM German time). I got an aisle seat with a lot of leg room so it was ok. But one bad thing about the aisle seat- Anytime anyone wanted to get their baggage or stand up, it was like, "Hello strange crotch in my face". Now, I know some of you have no problem with that and in fact, welcome it (I won't mention any names...). But as for me, I need my personal space still. Meh. Oh yea, random thought but I just thought I'd mention that 2nd class/business class, they get pillows and comforters instead of the cheap things we in economy get. And first class, wow. They get a full bed with everything. Amazing. I think I'm going to travel first class for a long overseas trip one day. It's pretty glamorous.

Anyway, the airport is pretty nice... everything is in German of course. Even my computer is speaking to me in German. I have to say though, it's changed quite a lot since the last time I was here, approximately 10 years ago. But despite that, one thing sure hasn't changed though and that my friends, is that I still do not "fit in" in Europe. Lol. Everyone is tall and blond with blue eyes... pretty much my complete opposite. Oh well!

So... now I'm sitting in one of those nice lounge chairs in the airport, writing this while people watching. People watching is fun no matter where you are. I wonder if that's why stalkers find so much pleasure in well, stalking. Hmm... Anyway, the people sitting next to me are doing amatuer "photo shoots" around the airport. They keep posing on the poles and whatnot. It's kind of funny to watch but I'm sure once I'm in Japan, we'll be doing the same thing too. Lol, they just did the Charlie's Angels' pose (here's the kicker, they're 3 guys though hehe). Oh hey, one guy just winked at me while walking by (not a Charlie's Angels' guy but another guy). Weird. Another just smiled at me. Maybe they feel sorry for me b/c I'm sitting here alone and I look so terrible from that plane ride..

Anyhow, as much fun as it is sitting here in my nice lounge chair watching the planes fly in, I think I'm going to go wander, proabably in search of some food. Not that I'm particularily hungry... but there's really nothing else to do. Alrighty then, stay beautiful and keep smiling!

-your friendly neighborhood traveler

In the airport...

Hello! The reason I created this blog is to keep you guys updated on my adventures in Japan. Well... I'm not even in Japan yet and already the adventure has begun!

I'm sitting here in the Dallas Ft Worth Airport right now waiting for flight #2. Yes, I know. I was supposed to fly out yesterday but due to the huge storm that came in, everything flooded and I wasnt able to fly out. So... I rescheduled and my flight was supposed to leave this morning to Tokyo. Well, when I checked in, they were overbooked (surprise, surprise) and I couldnt get a seat (but, my luggage is on that plane already and now I'm going to have a problem with customs since my bag is going to Tokyo and the only one who can clear customs is me... but I'm going to Osaka, not Tokyo so... this will be another fun thing to figure out).

Anyway after talking to the airline people (very calmly of course! but... I may or may not have given them "the look") I managed to get them to send me on another flight that leaves today. However, that flight goes through Frankfurt, Germany before connecting to Osaka. Talk about going the long way. Man. And of course, the flight was supposed to take off at 2:45PM but now it doesnt leave til 4. Good thing I didnt take the "other flight" they offered. (That was supposed to take me from San Angelo to Dallas, from Dallas to LA, from LA to Honolulu, from Honolulu to Korea and from Korea to Osaka.... with the luck I'm having, there is NO WAY I would have made all of those connections)

So.... Here I am in the USO just chilling out. Met a few nice people out here already. And the snacks are wonderful. Plus, we're watching the James Bond- Casino Royale movie. And James Bond is always great. :)

Anyway.... hopefully things will settle down soon and things wil get a bit easier. I'm not sure if I'll have internet access in Japan (I'm pretty sure I will so send me emails! ) but if I do, I'll try to update this constantly :)

Stay beautiful and smile!
-Me

My Dorm Room

So.. It's been a while since I've had internet access. I didnt really feel like paying for it when I'm not even going to be here to enjoy it. Anyhow, I'm living in the dorms now and it's not too bad. There is a kitchen and bathroom so I can't really complain. I did have to go buy pots, pans, dishes, towels etc... and of course, a TV. Needless to say, I spent more money than I should have (but hey... these things happen when you spend most of your time at Wal-mart.... ).

Anyway, this is my room.




The bed is pretty comfy (with all the padding and whatnot added to it). The room itself is small, but it's quite homey and I like it. :)

Anyway, I'm working at the Family Child Care and the ladies are really nice. They think I'm adorable and sweet. Now tell me, how exactly am I supposed to command people and whatnot when all people can talk about is how "sweet" my voice is and how adorable I am. It does nothing for my "bad girl" image. Oy. But they mean well and they are wonderful. They even want me to come back when I get back! Yay!

Ok well... that's enough for now.
Stay beautiful!

This is the living room. I have a tv and a reclining sofa... which if you recline too far, the entire chair just falls backwards. Kinda dangerous actually.

First Day of Work

Today was my first day of work. I work at the Family Care Center (different from the Day Care) doing... well, whatever they tell me to do. I went in at 9 AM and inventoried toys, matching serial numbers to pictures and pasted them into the Big Binder of Toys. Then I went home. Before noon. Nice huh? But tomorrow should be a bit "harder" with longer hours... can't wait.

Anyway, only a week and a few days before I get to move out of the hotel and into the dorms. The hotel is nice and everything, but it would be nice to actually unpack and officially "move in." Not to mention, there's only so much pool and TV you can watch. It gets.. boring after a while.

Well, that's pretty much all for tonight. Perhaps something exciting will happen tomorrow... We can only hope!

Now I leave with a few words of advice:
No matter what they say, the stereo is NOT louder in the backseat.

-Me

San Angelo

Well, I'm here in San Angelo, settled at least for the time being. I'm staying in a hotel off base, waiting until the dorm rooms become available. Why live in a dorm when I could live in an apartment especially since I could be making money off BAH by renting an apartment instead of living in a dorm? Well, I figure I'm not even going to be here for a year so why do I really need to get an apartment? Or spend money trying to furnish it? Not to mention, by living in a dorm, I'll be closer to everyone else and studying is made easier. I mean, we're not allowed to take study materials out of the buildings... a matter of national security or something of that sort. Plus the hotel is actually really nice with a king size bed and a kitchenette and I'm only here until I go to Japan in a few weeks anyway so it's ok. But I really can't wait to move into my dorm and actually unload my car of all my wordly possessions. I havent completely finished in-processing yet... but I guess when I do (sometime this week perhaps?), I'll be working at the base library until I go to Japan and that isnt a bad job at all.

The town itself is quite small but the people seem really nice. There's a Walmart, a Target, a mall and move theatre, a Best Buy, BWW and a lot of steak houses so all in all, there's a decent amount of stuff. No book store though and that is somewhat disappointing. It's also really hot down here. Around the high 90s almost everyday. Intense eh?

Anyway, not much going around down here yet so... I'll leave you with a question:

Does absence make the heart grow fonder? or is it really, Out of sight, out of mind?

Texas... finally

After cramming everything I could POSSIBLY own into my little car (nothing short of a real-life tetris game) and driving all day and all night, I'm finally in Texas. Not San Angelo, but Dallas. We're stopping here for the night, spending some time with my godparents who are really nice and have an extremely HUGE house. It's built around an in-ground swimming pool if that gives you any idea to how huge it could be... and the master bathroom is oh, about the size of my SAR from USAFA. Seriously. HUGE.

Anyway, the drive down from Boston wasn't too bad, minus the whole Optimus Prime and Megatron trying to see who could ride my bumper the entire way down... Only really bad part of the drive was going through New York and New Jersey. THAT was a mess! Apparently, there was a huge accident (something along the lines of a tiny car trying to take on a tractor trailer...) and they had to shut down the freeway. They called in the rescue choppers and the whole nine yards. By the way, the whole "you can't pump your own gas" law in New Jersey is frikkin ridiculous! Drove through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia (Open for Business...), Tennessee (you're the only 10 I see...), and Arkansas (a natural state...). Drove over the Mississippi River too and thought about the Oregon trail (remember how you had to cross the river in that game? Someone always died). But I made it.

And now, I'm here. Texas. My home for the next year. It'll be fun. Come visit me! All right. That's it for today.

Jen over and out

PS. 300 came out on DVD yesterday!
PPS. I got 37 miles to the gallon in my little car. Amazing! I heart my car!