The Weekend Review - (all) Over Osaka
Well, today has been really quiet and slow, but I almost feel like Friday was a week ago after this weekend - it was definitately a long one!
I was originally going to go boarding in Nagano this weekend, but because of the bum toe, I stayed in Kansai. I still really want to go, but there are some pretty good deals available throughought the year and the ski parks are apparently open (with good conditions) through May, so I might still go next month when i get back from Cambodia.
Taking advantage of the unexpected extra time in the area, I met Brianne, my Minnesota friend that lives in Kobe, on Friday night. We both had dinner before and just went for a little walk and found a bench to just sit and chat on for a while. The weather has been nice and it's been ages since I've just walked around Kobe, so I really enjoyed it. Brianne was busy getting ready for her parents to arrive later in the night, so we ended up going to a local foreigner bar so I could meet up with a group to go to a concert. I stuck around at Happy Hour and found some of the people from the group, but the girl who had a friend playing in the band (and most of the rest of the group) couldn't make it so we ended up looking for the venue and then just going to a bar to sit and talk for a while before last train.
I've been really tired lately (not totally sure why) and ended up falling asleep and missing my stop on the way home, but luckily I had a friend somewhat near to where I did get off and just spent the night at her place. It was definitely a little adventure, but not recommended if it can be avoided!
I met my ladies on Saturday morning and headed back to the foot doc. The doctor is not in a very convenient location for me and I knew I was cutting it short on time betwee engagements with travel time, so when I got to Akashi to take a train to the hospital and saw the trains were 20 minutes late, I knew I wasn't going to make it. In addition to being closed on weekends, hospitals also close for the afternoon here (don't ask...I don't get it either... it's definitely not for siesta), so I would have had to change all my plans and go in the afternoon if I missed my earlier appointment. I hopped a cab in Akashi and the guy was sort of rude at first, but when i told him my foot hurt and I needed to get to Fukuyama Hospital as fast as I could, he took the charge seriously. I think I actually felt my stomach hit my throat with the way this guy was driving, but the ride was less expensive than I expected (base fare is usually ￥630 and the meter adds up fast!) and I made it in time!
This time, both brothers tended to my toe. It was actually pretty amusing. The older brother was bickering with the one that put my most recent bandage on last week about doing it too tightly... definitely a sibling conversation/argument more than a professional one, but it was entertaining to watch. It was also fun to use Japanese with them, even both of them speak English really well. I was scared about going to a hospital on my own last week, but it's been easier to communicate than i expected. My toe still isn't better and the doctors still want me to go to a hospital in Cambodia (told them it was probably not possible...) and told me I can swim "at my own risk", but I think I'm going to get special bandages to use starting next week and hope to be better before we leave Laos this weekend. Fingers crossed!
After the doc, I had a relaxing afternoon. I just went home for a while, wrote an article, checked email and talked to some good friends in America on the phone for a few hours. I've been getting a lot of random life updates from people I haven't been in touch with lately (and am honestly really starting to miss), but one of the updates threw me into shock (and prompted the phone calls) when I found out that four of my girlfriends from college (all married and some old coworkers) are now pregnant. I got the news about one other good friend last month and now have heard from other girlfriends that they have plans for families. OK, I know I am hitting that age where poeple get married and have kids (did I just write that?), but maybe the timing just crept up more slighly because I have been abroad... Wow. I'm really happy and excited for the girls and happy with where I am, but it's funny to think that so many of my friends having children soon! Talk about a life change!
On Saturday night, I was going to hang out with girlfriends in either Himeji or Osaka, but sort of wanted a change of scene for the day so I headed towards Osaka to meet up with a group for mexican and bowling. It was my first time "playing bowling" in Japan and was pretty much the same as what you find in America. I was surprised to find that bowling was so popular here when I came, but the only real difference is that people do it at home for a cheap date, while it can actually get to be fairly expensive here (I think we played 4 games for about $27...yikes!). Whatever bowling skills I may have once had have definitely dissapeared (one game I am not in to win...) but it was a lot of fun.
On Sunday morning, had another Japan first: movie theater at 9am! It was the very last showing of Planet Earth (the film version of the BBC series). I didn't know it was going to be in Japanese or that it was at a regular movie theater (and thus regular movie theater price at $20 a ticket... OUCH), but the movie was excellent. I understood some of it, asked a Japanese friend that was with for some help with the kanji (can't blame me for not knowing vocab like equator yet...haha) and thoroughly enjoyed the amazing photography. The waterfall scene was breathtaking and I really like the walruses at the end. If you haven't seen the show or the movie, I really recommend it (um, but don't pay $20... no movie is worth $20). In hindsight, I must say I was SHOCKED that the theatre (a large cinemaplex in central Osaka) was PACKED on a Sunday morning (the movie started at 9am, people), but there's a popular movie for children that just came out (Doraemon) and there were a lot of families....interesting.
After the movie, I grabbed some breakfast and headed to a BBQ at a friend's house in Takarazuka (also near Osaka). I've been to parties and concerts where we've BBQ'd in Japan, but this was my first actual BBQ... and I have to admit I missed the scene. I am not super close with the group that was there, so it was fun, but I definately think it would be wise to set up our own little pit with my girlfriends and closer friends in Japan sometime. The cherry blossoms will be blooming when I get back from Cambodia, so I actually think I might set it up myself - ideal activity at an ideal time to be outside! I guess the only other thing to say about that night was that I also made my very first onigiri (rice balls), which is EASY, I know... but it was a first. I botched the very first one (made it too small and tried to add more rice too late). I took a lot of teasing for how bad it turned out, but it WAS funny-looking and there is a first time for everything, so I guess it was just practice for my next BBQ!
The BBQ went pretty late, but the school year and classes are over, so I didn't have much to do on Monday. Overall, fun weekend, but just really busy. It would have been fun to get some time in with my girlfriends (the ones I didn't meet in Himeji), but I have a feeling this spring is going to fly by. I already have plans for the three weekends after I arrive (mostly due to the hanami, or cherry blossom viewings, friends' concerts and Nagano), but I am looking forward to it.
Alright, have to finish some stuff up and want to take a peak at my SE Asia Lonely Planet. Hope you all had a lovely weekend as well (and thank you if you made it this far... LONG post). I'll try to update from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia!
I was originally going to go boarding in Nagano this weekend, but because of the bum toe, I stayed in Kansai. I still really want to go, but there are some pretty good deals available throughought the year and the ski parks are apparently open (with good conditions) through May, so I might still go next month when i get back from Cambodia.
Taking advantage of the unexpected extra time in the area, I met Brianne, my Minnesota friend that lives in Kobe, on Friday night. We both had dinner before and just went for a little walk and found a bench to just sit and chat on for a while. The weather has been nice and it's been ages since I've just walked around Kobe, so I really enjoyed it. Brianne was busy getting ready for her parents to arrive later in the night, so we ended up going to a local foreigner bar so I could meet up with a group to go to a concert. I stuck around at Happy Hour and found some of the people from the group, but the girl who had a friend playing in the band (and most of the rest of the group) couldn't make it so we ended up looking for the venue and then just going to a bar to sit and talk for a while before last train.
I've been really tired lately (not totally sure why) and ended up falling asleep and missing my stop on the way home, but luckily I had a friend somewhat near to where I did get off and just spent the night at her place. It was definitely a little adventure, but not recommended if it can be avoided!
I met my ladies on Saturday morning and headed back to the foot doc. The doctor is not in a very convenient location for me and I knew I was cutting it short on time betwee engagements with travel time, so when I got to Akashi to take a train to the hospital and saw the trains were 20 minutes late, I knew I wasn't going to make it. In addition to being closed on weekends, hospitals also close for the afternoon here (don't ask...I don't get it either... it's definitely not for siesta), so I would have had to change all my plans and go in the afternoon if I missed my earlier appointment. I hopped a cab in Akashi and the guy was sort of rude at first, but when i told him my foot hurt and I needed to get to Fukuyama Hospital as fast as I could, he took the charge seriously. I think I actually felt my stomach hit my throat with the way this guy was driving, but the ride was less expensive than I expected (base fare is usually ￥630 and the meter adds up fast!) and I made it in time!
This time, both brothers tended to my toe. It was actually pretty amusing. The older brother was bickering with the one that put my most recent bandage on last week about doing it too tightly... definitely a sibling conversation/argument more than a professional one, but it was entertaining to watch. It was also fun to use Japanese with them, even both of them speak English really well. I was scared about going to a hospital on my own last week, but it's been easier to communicate than i expected. My toe still isn't better and the doctors still want me to go to a hospital in Cambodia (told them it was probably not possible...) and told me I can swim "at my own risk", but I think I'm going to get special bandages to use starting next week and hope to be better before we leave Laos this weekend. Fingers crossed!
After the doc, I had a relaxing afternoon. I just went home for a while, wrote an article, checked email and talked to some good friends in America on the phone for a few hours. I've been getting a lot of random life updates from people I haven't been in touch with lately (and am honestly really starting to miss), but one of the updates threw me into shock (and prompted the phone calls) when I found out that four of my girlfriends from college (all married and some old coworkers) are now pregnant. I got the news about one other good friend last month and now have heard from other girlfriends that they have plans for families. OK, I know I am hitting that age where poeple get married and have kids (did I just write that?), but maybe the timing just crept up more slighly because I have been abroad... Wow. I'm really happy and excited for the girls and happy with where I am, but it's funny to think that so many of my friends having children soon! Talk about a life change!
On Saturday night, I was going to hang out with girlfriends in either Himeji or Osaka, but sort of wanted a change of scene for the day so I headed towards Osaka to meet up with a group for mexican and bowling. It was my first time "playing bowling" in Japan and was pretty much the same as what you find in America. I was surprised to find that bowling was so popular here when I came, but the only real difference is that people do it at home for a cheap date, while it can actually get to be fairly expensive here (I think we played 4 games for about $27...yikes!). Whatever bowling skills I may have once had have definitely dissapeared (one game I am not in to win...) but it was a lot of fun.
On Sunday morning, had another Japan first: movie theater at 9am! It was the very last showing of Planet Earth (the film version of the BBC series). I didn't know it was going to be in Japanese or that it was at a regular movie theater (and thus regular movie theater price at $20 a ticket... OUCH), but the movie was excellent. I understood some of it, asked a Japanese friend that was with for some help with the kanji (can't blame me for not knowing vocab like equator yet...haha) and thoroughly enjoyed the amazing photography. The waterfall scene was breathtaking and I really like the walruses at the end. If you haven't seen the show or the movie, I really recommend it (um, but don't pay $20... no movie is worth $20). In hindsight, I must say I was SHOCKED that the theatre (a large cinemaplex in central Osaka) was PACKED on a Sunday morning (the movie started at 9am, people), but there's a popular movie for children that just came out (Doraemon) and there were a lot of families....interesting.
After the movie, I grabbed some breakfast and headed to a BBQ at a friend's house in Takarazuka (also near Osaka). I've been to parties and concerts where we've BBQ'd in Japan, but this was my first actual BBQ... and I have to admit I missed the scene. I am not super close with the group that was there, so it was fun, but I definately think it would be wise to set up our own little pit with my girlfriends and closer friends in Japan sometime. The cherry blossoms will be blooming when I get back from Cambodia, so I actually think I might set it up myself - ideal activity at an ideal time to be outside! I guess the only other thing to say about that night was that I also made my very first onigiri (rice balls), which is EASY, I know... but it was a first. I botched the very first one (made it too small and tried to add more rice too late). I took a lot of teasing for how bad it turned out, but it WAS funny-looking and there is a first time for everything, so I guess it was just practice for my next BBQ!
The BBQ went pretty late, but the school year and classes are over, so I didn't have much to do on Monday. Overall, fun weekend, but just really busy. It would have been fun to get some time in with my girlfriends (the ones I didn't meet in Himeji), but I have a feeling this spring is going to fly by. I already have plans for the three weekends after I arrive (mostly due to the hanami, or cherry blossom viewings, friends' concerts and Nagano), but I am looking forward to it.
Alright, have to finish some stuff up and want to take a peak at my SE Asia Lonely Planet. Hope you all had a lovely weekend as well (and thank you if you made it this far... LONG post). I'll try to update from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia!
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 6:10 PM
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