For Halloween this year, I celebrated with a few of the ALT's from my training group. We dressed up, drank wine, and ate so much Japanese Halloween candy. It was fun to have people to share the holiday with. Surprisingly, Halloween has become a celebrated holiday in Japan. I heard about a lot of Halloween parties being held in the major city centers. It's not exactly the same as an American Halloween -- there isn't trick-or-treating -- but teenagers and young adults have fun dressing up in costumes. Since COSPlay is a part of Japanese culture, people enjoy any excuse to dress up in 'costume'.
Since I'm not one for large crowds of people dressed in costume --- I'm so afraid, that I haven't and won't even watch the PURGE --- I enjoyed my low key Halloween celebration. I threw on a mask and grabbed a bottle of wine. That was enough for me.
"My Natural Habitat"
Celebrating Halloween with C. She was an anime character --- LOLA ?
Kabocha flavored Kit-Kat bars for Halloween. Melt in your mouth goodness!
Oishi desu.
I had another great week of classes. I enjoyed my time at JHS #1. The week was busy and flew by. I made it to the gym a couple of times this week and also did a little 'winter wardrobe' shopping. I'm happy to say that blanket scarves are popular here in Japan, too. I was able to pick up two of them! -- small victory.
Loving this fall weather and all of the neutrals.
I should have believed people when they said, "It gets cold in Japan." It seems like I've been wearing my NorthFace every single day.
On my way to school to celebrate "Culture Festival". It was a great day of music performances, art-work, Japanese culture, and positive energy. I'm so happy I had the chance to experience this school celebration.
Seeing fireworks in celebration of Culture Day from my patio was an unexpected surprise. They were beautiful!
On Friday night I went to tennis practice and had a blast! Even though I was freezing, I had a great time hitting. Playing on omni courts is so much fun. I've still been playing in my hard court shoes so I'm slipping and sliding all over the place. It's a cool feeling though.
I'm also getting noticeably stronger. The workouts have been paying off. My serve has improved and the depth of my forehand shots is much deeper. I'm so pleased.
After getting back to my apartment, I cooked miso rice and tofu and watched TERRACE HOUSE: BOYS AND GIRLS IN THE CITY. I seriously love this show. It's like the Japanese version of The Hills and The City. It's all in Japanese, but it has English sub-titles. I understand just a little, but at least it's something.
Saturday, November 5th
Saturday was spent sleeping in, detoxing, and hitting the gym. I had a great run thanks to the new music I downloaded on Spotify. I've been playing James Arthur's Say You Won't Let Go over and over again. It's a slow song, but I'm able to run to it because I love the words. I kind of just zone out.
The weather here in Kyushu is crisp and cool. I've been wrapped up in sweaters, scarves, and my COSTCO blanket. I can't get enough. This weather just makes me happy. I love summer and being at the beach ... but fall sure does steal my heart every time it comes around.
scarves. boots. pumpkin spice lattes. fall leaves. overcast cozy weather.
I've been a little homesick lately, mostly for my college days, though. I've been reminiscing and letting myself enjoy all of the memories I made those four years. Even though sometimes I get a little sad, I can't help but be thankful that I have these memories to look back on. And since it's November, the recognized month of "Thankfulness", I thought I'd share a few things I'm thankful for that Huntingdon College gave me . . .
1. four years of living with roommates who became life long friends.
2. an environment that challenged me to define my values, form opinions, and develop tolerance for opposing views.
3. a sorority to call home for the rest of my life. #ChiO #SistersOnPurpose
4. three years of living on the tennis court and learning how to face adversity.
5. countless late nights, long hours, endless cups of coffee, all kinds of events, and the best memories to hold onto for the rest of my life.
I'm happy that Huntingdon College is part of my life's story.
Probably my favorite picture --- Room 406, Junior Year
light roast. medium roast. dark roast.
Sunday, November 6th
What a productive day. I woke up, enjoyed two cups of coffee while watching Terrace House --- seriously, I can't get enough! --- and then rode my bike to the gym. I took advantage of the empty gym and used the free weight section. It was great! And instead of doing a run, I jumped on the cycling bike and did a spin session. I loved it!
After the gym I got cleaned up and headed out to my Japanese lesson. I felt so chic in my weekend outfit that I had to snap a picture. I also had a little bit of a workout high. My legs were all shaky and I had the giggles. I think I was a little delirious.
B and I had such a good day at class. She is able to write and read hirigana and katagana so she spends her time working on sentence structure and grammar. I'm still trying to learn how to read and write hirigana. It's a slow a process for me because I do not study enough. I like to practice speaking and conversation.
But, I realize that in order to progress in the direction that I want, I need to learn to read and write hirigana and katagana. I'm not worried about kanji, though. Maybe I'll get there one day. For now, I have enough to focus on. We grabbed coffee at Tully's afterwards and let our brains decompress. Tully's launched two new holiday flavors --- Irish Cream and Mascarpone Tiramisu Latte. I tried the later and declared it better than the Halloween Pumpkin Latte. I couldn't help it. It was amazing!
I rushed back to my apartment because I had plans to go shopping for tennis equipment with my tennis coach. He has a point card that gets him a discount on merchandise during certain times of the month. We used the card and I was able to purchase omni court shoes, a bag, and two pairs of ear warmers for half price. I was thrilled! I'm obsessed with my Babolat equipment. The Babolat Pure Drive racket I bought it the racket I have always wanted.
Throughout high school and college I played with Wilson rackets, but always envied those who used Babolat. I'm not sure why I didn't go with Babolat back then, but I have it now and that's what matters. I've been working on putting more spin on my forehand and avoiding flat shots. I'm sad to say that I do have a slight case of tennis elbow, but since switching to a lighter racket and adjusting my hitting style I haven't had too many problems. Old age is setting in ... [sad face].
For dinner I made miso rice and tofu. I'm trying to watch what I eat as the race gets closer. I've also gone ahead and cut excess bread out of my diet. It was a tough adjustment, but I'm loving the results and I have a lot more energy.
I answered some emails, packed my bag for the work day, and enjoyed another episode of Terrace House. It was a great weekend and I feel rejuvenated and ready for the week ahead.
