September 17th 2012

Also my view... basketball!! :)

       I was worried that I would not wake up on time, so I kept waking up. ( I also fell asleep with the lights on ... :( DameDame Desuyoune) =how bad of me) But Praise the LORRDD!! I was able to wake up, and even earlier. I prepared my self, and was worried about what time Aya would come. I still did not have Internet :(... but I tried again to connect it, and saw the instructions that were included in the welcome packet and.... IT WORKEDD!!! :) I was sooo thankful, God really does have perfect timing Daiyoune!! :) (dosn't He!) I was soo thankful to be able to look at my e-mail. Sadly, no one was on skype :(. Demo.. iiyou (but it was OK)

      After getting ready ( i realized how little I really packed .. but i know that I still packed more that Jesus even told his disciples :P.... one pair of clothes... =OO!!!. But i know if i need He will provide :). I contacted Aya and told her my house number (AP House II).


Ayachyan and Uchidakun at the Super Market :)

      While waiting in the lobby I sat down, it felt so weird, some will say hi to you, while others will pretend to ignore you .. (i think?? .. they look at you but they don't reply.. :( ) There was this one girl, she was SOO pretty!! she was on her phone ( looked like an I-phone). but i did not want to talk to her because i thought i would be ignored too ( JUDGMENTALLNESS huh?!!! :(( ) It is funny because, she was the one to come and talk to me ... (that usually doesn't happen as most of you know... ).
She was so kind, we talked about our home countries, then her friends came and met up with her; and she invited me to grab breakfast them (SO kind :); i told her maybe another time, then we exchanged information. I didn't realize I was late to go outside and meet Aya :(... Oddly enough... she was able to tailgate someone inside (tailgate = follow someone into a security monitored building)
      It was good to see her!! :) We went to the car where her boyfriend (karashi) Uchida.. ( i think) ... was waiting for us. (he was kind also, he took his last day off work to dive us.. (me.. ) around Beppu for groceries and nessesities!!! Both Aya and Uchida speak English very well!!! i Was sooo impressed (it was VERY easy to communicate ... and they helped me practice and learn Japanese words :).
      We went to about 5 different stores :O!! (I had to buy alot of different type of things!!! )


KaWAII!!( SO CUTE), she looks like Angelina!

* One really big surprise!!! ... they have pets in some stores... like you can buy pets... at a super market!!!! :P!!! the doggies and bunnies were soooo cuttee!!!! :)))
 ** ALSO!!! ... they don't really use lotion, so when you go to a store to buy lotion... they come in verryyy little sizes annnd... they are expensive :( . I was going to bring my lotion, but I told myself to "buy it there".... :[.... Soo


Yes, they really do have beetles as pets! :O

Bunny!!!:) = Usagi!!!:)

AWW!!! :)

WARNING (N/C/S AMERICANS) .. If you are like me and NEED my lotion .... make sure to pack it with you :)!!
* the toilet paper is scented!! :P! SOO COOL.. again.. smells like roses.. and is Pink!! :)
Some "must bring" items to Japan:

1.  Lotion!! (Like.. bath and body)
2. Floss (if you use)
3. Camera
4. Cell phone (if you have a sim card in your phone, it is cheaper to just buy a sim card here)
5. (or mostly... body products)
6. Towels (here they are kind of expensive and are small, not soo good quality like in the US... OR mayyybee i am spoiled with my moms Egyptian cotton towels :P)
7. Chocolate. (for women especially, they have her too, but i do not see much and i think it is expensive.. i will try to update if i am wrong)

For some reason... Bananas are in bags??

THE Sushi place we went to :)

Little sharks greeted us :).. or.. i think they are sharks... :P

    After shopping, we went to a sushi place... it was tooo good!!! (I cant remember the name.. but it translates... Master Sushi)
--- Also.. i learned this before hand (thankfully, and also on the plane trip) ... but
when you go out to eat in Japan, especially in a traditional area, they will give you a towelette,
IT IS FOR CLEANING YOUR HANDS :) ... it is not for your face :P... (i kept wanting to use it for my face.


See!! The food trolly that looks like a train/metro

           At the sushi house (Sushi Meiji) we pick the food we want, some are on conveyor/rotating belts, and others are ordered and either brought to your table, or put on a little metro looking carrier. (ITS SOO COOL!! ) It is electronically powered and reaches your table fast.... :)
They also have fresh ginger in a saice, (the best ginger i have tastes),
Green tea- you put machya (green tea powder) then you put your cup up to this button thing and push the button (it sticks out a bit) then finally, extremely hot water comes out. Be careful not to burn yourself. Chopstick, spoons, forks, (for Americans :P) Are provided.



Here is how we ordered food, there are selections of pictures, and on the touch screen you order what you want. It also tells you the price of the item :) most things were 150-260 yen



Conveyor belt of FOOD... And to the right you can see the Hot Water faucet (for tea)
 



SO YUMMY (i dont remember the name but it was salmon, rice and wasabi!)

     The food was SOOOO yummyy!!!!!!!!! Tottemo Oishii!!!! :)
When we paid, i was surprised because Uchida payed for all of us :O!!! But when I said something about it he said it was fine because he works... (i felt if i made a big deal i felt as if it would be misunderstood as rude :( ) :(( So uncomfortable still to accept such things.

[[[[[[side note: {(while i am writing this blog, they made an announcement over the loudspeakers, they repeat everything in Japanese and English 2x :P)... it is one way to sneak in learning/practice skills :P) }]]]]]]]]]

Back to us leaving the sushi house... we went back to APU. the ride was so pretty!! and they explained things to me. It was kind of hot outside, so the air was blasting cold air. (i think Japanese people do not like the heat very much... or tolerate it much :P. maybee... or maybe just depends on the person?)

Mayo!!

       We get to APU II (my dorm) And we go to my room to put the stuff down... GUUESS what i got at the food store?? ( lots of food.. and.... of coarse... MAYO!! :)
.. haha. For sandwiches of coarse... so many things are so differently wrapped and displayed.
--------Bananas come in a plastic bag!! :O!?? I was so confused. The fish was soo fresh, but I did not want to buy it yet in case it spoils. (we are really surrounded by water:P. Fish was actually pretty cheap)
In my room, they helped me correct my bed :P... (i had made it wrong... :P). THey also loved the view. We hung out a bit and walked outside. I really like Aya and Uchida.



Icecream machine :)!!!



Refridgerator full of FOOD :) Praise GOD!!

After everything, and they go home. I met friends who told me that I needed to go to orientation.

Orientation:
I met Scarlett (a Chinese girl... extremely sweet! ), we talked and sat together.
Orientation was fun, we split into groups and played the name challenge.:P... Janken and Tony were our group leaders. (Older Apu students)
I sat next to a girl i meet through Elena the day before, her name is Yu :)
I also later talked to Shannon (from Hawaii) and Collin (from the UK).

After I went to find Nishi and Xanthe (friends from earlier...)
We ate dinner together ( we all shared food !! :) )

To your left it is Alisha (she is an RA), Monica, and Aishiwaria

      Later I hung out with Aishiwaria, she is from Nepal. She made me eat dinner with her too (it is SO strange, i haven't really been hungry for some reason, but i end up having to eat anyways.... :P. I am very thankful for the food. I know that GOD knows what my body needs more than i do.. and also the food tastes so good:) .. expirience points +5!!! :) We hung out till late because we went to see Monica and Alisha (from Nepal too). They were in AP House I.

At around 10 or 11, I did decided to go back to my room because I needed sleep.
Got online, ... blogged :) emails... and at 2 am... SHOWER:)!!!!! I am soo happy i got to use the things I had bought with AYA!!! :) SOO NICEEE!!! I smell like roses ( AYA & Uchida helped me pick it out... like everything else.. it was sooo fun)

Did some reading, and also fell asleep. The view at night is sooo beautiful, the city is all lit around the water :) . I am so thankful that I have been soooo blessed to go to school around the water! In ODU and now APU!! :) (I think God spoils me sometimes :)<3!!!
Something to think about:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”   

 

Sounds hard too!!!!!   I wonder what this looks like? I know that thinking now, it does not seem like I do such things easily :(. deep down... i keep looking out for me too... what about ME now.. people pleasing ...or over exertion, or under exertion, from fear or self justification = pride.. :(...  Hmmm. Brothers and Sisters reading this,  I pray that the Holy Spirit can speak to our heart and point out things that we do that are concieted; even if it has the appearance of purity. :(. Lets see where we grow from here? Gambatte ne!!! Gambarimashou ne!! :) (work hard! lets work hard ... )

 

~~Raquelita~*~


Beppu city at night, from my view :)!