Host family

Before I start, I want to tell you guys. You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them :)

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I've found a new guy in my life! A new centre of the world. Haha. He's so cute that everyone will want to have him if I bring him back to Singapore. And the feelings between us are mutual. I love him and he loves me too! Rather possessive. Isn't that sweet? Awww...

And here he is!













Haha, probably wasn't much of a surprise cos his picture is there already when I put that introduction. But he is indeed the cutest boy I've seen. He's a bully sometimes though. And he likes getting his way. But, he's the cutest, cutest cutest boy I've seen!!! I tell you, once he's grown older, every girl will fall at his feet or something. His smile is just so cute! <3 awwwww I love Wataru! Haha, he's the younger boy in the family. He looks really intelligent, doesnt he? Yes, Im biased and I feel like I sound like some proud mother or something. haha.

Anyways, yes, to the important point!

Met the host family on Sunday, at 3pm. Otosan came with Wataru (the boy above) to come get me from the Seminar House. Apparently, somebody read my admission letter and decided to give me the family I have: 4 children, PLUS, the mother owns a child care centre. I never knew the sentence, "I love children and am good with them" can lead to this exaggerated effect. hahahahahahah. They also gave me the host family with the same religion as I am. PLUS, the entire family knows at least passable english (except Wataru and Hikari, whom I will introduce later). Haha, so anyways, we took Otosan's car to the home. Okasan looks extremely motherly :) I showed her pictures of my home, and of the Soka University in Aliso Veijo in California. Hmm, I think she was sufficiently impressed lah. Haha.

Dinner was quite an elaborate affair. Okasan went out to buy sushi, beef (which was cooked rare), croquette and yakitori (cos I said I like yakitori). Haha, so nice of her to pay attn to what I like and what I don't like. I told her, the only thing I don't eat is raw seafood. And that's about all. Of course, that's not true, as everyone else knows. I'm a super picky eater. However, ever since living in Japan, there is nothing that I refuse to eat. Everything to me is oishii (delicious). Hmm, except for the liver yakitori. I still hate liver with a passion, though I swallowed the entire stick of liver yakitori.

So, here's the dinner affair!










And because I only thought to take the pictures after we were done eating... the amount of food left is limited. haha, so sorry to disappoint everyone, I didnt take pictures of the beef cos it was all finished by then. But trust me, the beef did not disappoint. :) It was great, even though it was raw. haha.

I shall introduce the host family picture here (since I took this right after we ate). Masayuki (the elder brother) and Otosan were not in this picture mainly because Masayuki was out with his friends / at an SGI meeting. Otosan was working.






















In the family photo from left to right: Wataru, Okasan, Hikari and Yuko (the sisters). I can't get enough of Wataru. Haha, I have this thing for guys with long eye lashes. Wataru has really long eye lashes. Eye lashes that girls will die for. haha. No, Im not a paedophile. Im just saying that his features are so pretty that he'd be a perfect girl-killer in the future. hahahahahaha. I'm supposed to be "teaching" Yuko English, but I don't know how to teach leh. I ended up teaching young children today instead, but will get around to that in a minute.

Here are pictures of my host family's house (and I did take the pictures w/o permission. I wonder what they'd think of me, sneaking ard the house, taking photos :x) Well, HOPE they dont know about it? :P

As you can see, I made myself pretty much at home in my room. I unpacked most of the stuff, and started making a big mess out of my room. haha, but don't worry, I'll clean up the mess lah. it was really quite fun unpacking into an empty room... Don't need to worry where im gonna put the extra clothes or extra books...




The view from my room. If u click on the picture, it'd enlarge. And u can see a green thing in the middle of the picture... It's actually the train. I live 1 minute away from the train station. BK asked me if it bothered me, the noise. But it's okay. I'm getting used to the "noise". In someways, it's rather sleep inducing :)







Okay, yes, got nth better to do but to take picture of the toilet. Still have the shower and laundry room to take pictures of. *ehem* The house is 3 storeys high. I remember the day I came to the house, the luggage was so freaking heavy it took me maybe 15minutes to conquer that stairway. haha. even with okasan's help... The last picture is the living/dining room :)














Even though in the contract it says to settle my lunches myself on wkdays, Okasan very nicely cooked my lunch for me today! :) It's udon today, with egg. :) I liked it very much. Dinner was good too. One plate of cabbage with cherry tomatoes (something that I dont like, but eat anyway, and no rashes yet, meaning that the cherry tomatoes as the cause of the allergic reaction is out, still yet to figure out what the cause is) and cut cucumbers. Plus garlic sauce :) the main course was this interesting interesting dish. I never saw it in my life, and I dont think it's even japanese. but it's quite interesting. Okasan cooked a pot of milk + butter + flour + shrimp + spinach + onion + bouillon cube + salt + pepper mixture. She sliced very very thick bread into little rectangles. Spooned the mixture over the bread. Sprinkled a HUGE amount of cheese on the top of the mixture and put it in the oven. It was ready after 15minutes. Haha, sth italian I'm guessing? Whatever it was, it was delicious lah. haha.











This is me, happily hugging Wataru's teddy. Haha, for a teddy that's been abused, the teddy is in really good shape! :) It doesnt smell, and the fur is still as soft. :) I miss having a doll around. Sighs. I go to sleep every night, wishing I had sth bigger to hug/touch rather than the little dolphin. *sighs* Well, thank goodness I have SOMETHING to hold while I go to bed. And no, I'm not suffering from home-sickness yet. YET, cos there's so much to see, so much to do. But, like I told Masayuki, maybe the homesickness will kick in soon :x




Okay, so that's the end of the photoblogpost. :) I got other stuff to talk about now... Let's detail what happened today! :P

Is it boring, though, for people to read exactly what I've been doing each day? HAHA, NEVERMIND, IT'S MY BLOG. IF YOU DONT LIKE IT, DONT READ IT. :P

Here it goes!

Masakyuki brought me to Negawashi (i think its spelt this way lah) for the alien registration. So, now tt I have my alien registration certificate, I dont need to bring the passport everywhere I go. :) Also bought the commutor pass (9040 yen, cheaper than I expected, and wayyyy better than 260 yen per trip). The pass lasts for 3 months, after which I must get another 1 month pass. 1 month, I think, should be more inexpensive compared to buying tickets every single day for the remaining 20 days I'm in Kayashima (name of the train station that I'm living near to). Apparently Masayuki likes shopping too! haha, niceeee.. I shall pester him to bring me shopping with him either this wkend or the next wkend, with Yuko. yay! :)

Anyways, came back, had lunch before setting off exactly 1 hr before sch. AND GOT LOST FROM GOTENYAMA STATION TO KGU.

When Daryn and I walked to Gotenyama station from KGU, we were just fine. It was very easy: turn left, turn right, turn left, turn right. When we walked (I met her at the kombini today, and we were talking about it) today, suddenly, A LOT OF LITTLE ROADS APPEARED... And I couldn't figure which one was which. So I overshot. And ended up asking 2 people, "kansai gaidai wa dochira desu ka?" [in which direction is kgu?] I can ask the qn. The prob is, THE ANSWER. I DIDNT UNDERSTAND THE ANSWER.

A very nice lady eventually walked me to the main road and pointed out the direction. just walk straight down, she said. I did. And was late for my first class. Had to stay back and apologise to the teacher lah. Felt so bad! :x Bought textbooks, and then met Daryn to talk about our individual homestay :) After which, went back and called Okasan.

Okasan brought me to her "child space", which is her day care centre. HAHAHAHAHA. and I ended up being a) bullied by them, b) teaching them english pronounciation through the use of the cards, c) entertaining them by carrying them so high they could touch the ceiling (in the process I think I strained my arm/back) and d) falling in love with all of the kids. Kids are fantastic. They don't have this situation where they are wary of you (unless of course, you once did something to them lah). Okay, most kids at least. I think I've only ever met 1 kid who didn't open up to me... The rest of the kids were shy at first, but became okay when they realised I'd do anything if they look at me long enough with their doe-eyes. hahahahahahaha. I love children! dont know if I'll get my own, but I love them. I'd be a horrible mother, spoil my children only :P

So, yep. Entertained them for some time. I think, I'll pass on the elementary school visits organized by KGU. With a child care so noisy and fun like mine, who needs elementary school? PLUS, my classes all end at 520. So, what is there to do, but to go home at 520?

I offered my "English-teaching" services to Okasan for every Monday. Cos, Mondays are the only days I don't stay back in school until 520. The rest of the days, I'm involved studying Japanese Buddhism and Negotiations, so... oh wells. :)

Masayuki, I think, doesnt need me to "teach" him English lah. He was fine in America for the 1 month he was there, so I guess his English is okay. Though we had a bit of communication difficulties initially. Yuko needs practice, so Ill speak to her solely in English! haha, it'd be great fun :)

Hai hai! this is the end of my update today! yay :) byebye... =)

I learn japish: okay desu [just means okay] and byebye shimasu [it's a verb. it means: I byebye] HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I use okay des all the time, and put up my hand in the okay sign. I think all the japanese who talk 2 me are very amused. Okay, maybe even the non-japanese. haha. I mean, okay-desu and the american sign for okay? how weird....

yep, need to go sleep. I've been typing this entry ever since end of dinner. BYEBYE =)

Will update, maybe tmr =)