Japan

In an attempt to stop me going to Schoolies, Mum and Dad offered me a trip to anywhere in the world (with them).  I know, as you do, right?  Well, much to my surprise they came good and Mum and I have just come back from a five and a half week trip that took us through Japan, England, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy.  Had a great time, but the photos are better than my sad attempts at retelling.  :-)

Mum and I in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.  Love it.  The whole city lights up.

Mum in front of Tokyo Tower.

Me with Naoko and Misato, who hosted me when I went to Yokosuka, Japan for three months in year ten, 2006. [click to continue...]

Just to let you know what kind of rubbish you’re reading, this post is
a) a year and a half old and
b) only funny to about three people.

I was just looking through a random exercise book and found a whole bunch of funny things that people kept saying during my three months in Japan.

I know I should probably just get over it, but they’re still hilarious (to me anyway) now.

So, basically by the end of our trip, Sarah, Kara and I had virtually no English skills left. We kept saying dumb things and couldn’t spell. This explains most of these things:

Don’t trod on my dreams.
Either Sarah or Kara said this first and after that we said it whenever someone disagreed with us.

Our English has gone down way hill.
Kara. Pretty much sums up the entire situation.

And whenever I managed to form a coherant sentance:

Don’t you use your smartness on us now, Laura.

And other odd quirks of Japan:

Power in the ricefields
The literal translation for the Japanese kanji for man. The woman kanji is scarily close to cheap.

A friend of the Nishiie’s, my host family:
Is the Gold Coast near New Zealand?

Everyone:
How do you do?
How do you even respond to that???

My host-dad referred to my host-mum as Mummy whenever he was talking to me.

There is a very popular Japanese band called Porno Graffiti. They are a sickeningly goody two shoes boy band.

The room where a lot of this stupid stuff took place:

Okay, that was so much fun I’m going to do it again…

Jaa ne!

Due to an overwhelming lack of anything more interesting to write, I’m going to do another self- test / about me thingy-me-bobs.

Name uh… duh

Age 16 years, 8 months and 26 days or 200 months and 26 days or 6026 days.

Grade Just finished grade eleven. Really don’t want to be in year twelve, cause that means I have to come up with something to do after I finish. And I don’t want to do that. Primarily cause I have no idea.

Favourite Movie The Producers, The Day After Tomorrow. I kinda like natural disasters. Go figure.

Least Favourite Movie Gallipoli. We watched it in Soc Ed in year nine and it was without a doubt the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’d be very well suited to the whole war thing. I think I’d be much better at sitting at home knitting socks or something.

Favourite Subject Modern History is so much fun. We argue about everything, from the War in Iraq (our actual topic) to does money equal happiness to Operator Please. The topics are so interesting too, despite our remarkable ability to get sidetracked and spend the entire lesson yelling at each other about whatever comes to mind. Also Japanese, despite the fact that we’ve got a composite class with the year tens, which kind of sucks, cause we only have half the time with Mrs Govindasamy. But still.

Favourite Food Chocolate icecream, butter chicken and chicken pasta bake. Not together though.

Least Favourite Food Mince. Ewk.

Favourite TV Shows The Chasers War on Everything, House and Summer Heights High. Yay.

Favourite Colour (these questions are getting lamer and lamer) yellow, orange… happy sunny colours. Trust me, that makes sense. Sort of.

Favourite Song O-Zone, Dragostea Din Tei. It’s slightly odd, but I love it, it cracks me up. Practically the theme song to my first trip to Japan. Also Arigatou, by SMAP. Theme to the second trip. Both make me laugh. Just fun. Is it odd that I prefer to listen to songs in foreign languages?? Though if you’d seen five Japanese guys dancing around in identical tight shiny red jumpsuits on the TV, with your forty-something year old host mum dancing around the room doing the exact same dance as the guys on the screen, you’d feel the same. Probably.

Favourite Book Bugger. Can’t think of anything. Yeesh, this is pathetic. It’s not like any of these questions are a huge surprise, since I WROTE THEM.

Well then. Toodaloo.

Hello

So once again it is the end of term and I’m on the computer for lack of anything better to do. These posts suck, but they are kind of inevitable.

Although today hasn’t been too bad. English I just talked to people, Maths was the biggest bludge ever and Modern History I worked on my assignment, just because it’s fun. Which is really sad, but whatever.

Our assignment is about the war on terror and whether it’s justified. It’s going to be really good next term. Our class has a tendency to argue over everything so it will be kind of funny.

It’s a year exactly today since I went to Japan for the three month stay and two years and one day since the two week. It’s sad. I really miss it.

Oh yeah, and I’m going on the Canberra trip next year. Can’t wait, it’s almost all of my modern history class. We go to the zoo and the Parliament Houses and heaps of other stuff. We’re there for ANZAC day too, which will be really good.

I can’t wait, it’s going to be awesome.

I’m working a fair bit these holidays, which kind of sucks.

Chicken gets a bit old.

But it is still kind of fun, cause everyone who works there is a nutcase to some degree, so it makes it interesting.

And then there’s always the bit at the end where whatever junior is on ends up lying upside down in the cabinet, wiping the windows.

People walk by and give you the weirdest looks
.
It’s worth doing just to see that.

I really can’t wait for the holidays though.

It’s 12.38 at the moment and we finish at 3.05, so we have….hang on, thinking…two hours and twenty seven minutes until the holidays!!!!!!

God, I hope that’s right.
Hee hee.

How dilly doodily!

Guess what? I figured out how to do pictures!!!! I’m so proud. Okay, so the big red temple one. This is Misato (my buddy) and I at Asakusa, which is a district of Tokyo. This thing is really tall, even though you can’t see the top of it in this picture.

Also, we have me in my school uniform. The skirt comes about halfway up my rib cage, and no, I am not even joking. It is a really nice uniform though.

And there’s also my awesome homeroom at my good bye party. Cutest group of people ever. I think this is because all of them look about ten, even though they’re like eighteen.

Okay, maybe positioning the photos is something I need to work on.

But whatever.

Bye.

Okay, I haven’t written anything up here in a while. So sue me.

A fair bit’s actually happened lately. I started back at school again, only now with the four long days and
Monday’s off thing we’ve got going now. It felt really weird going back to school, after four and a half months holiday, but whatever, I got over it.

I got a job at the local chicken shop, which isn’t actually as gross as I thought it would be.

I’ve signed up for the student council (again). Who knows, it might even be good this year.

I’ve also signed up for hockey, both in and out of school. Rachel and I are the only two people on the entire team who have played before (this is school I’m talking about here). And we both suck. We’ve already established that we’re pretty much screwed. But hey, it could be a lot worse. Most of our friends are doing jewelry making. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Cough cough.

Hmmm, what to say?

Nothing.

That’s kind of depressing.

Bye.

Oooh!! Hang on, just remembered.

I got all my Japan photos printed and am currently putting them all into a scrapbook. I’m having the best time doing it, cause I bought heaps of origami paper and stuff while I was over there.

That’s really pathetic isn’t it? And not exactly the earning or learning thing admin keeps telling us we should be using our Mondays for. But whatever, this is from the same deputy who told us we all had to wear hats outside or we’ll get skin cancer on our legs.

Sadly, no. I’m not even joking.

Goodbye.

I’m going to go through 2006 and see what I’ve done. No particular reason.

Left behind on my parents trip to Europe. Not to say that I didn’t have a fun time, just hello? EUROPE!!

I did the Toastmasters course at McDonalds at the crack of dawn in first term, for about six weeks.

I struggled through and somehow managed not only to finish, but to also get an A on the enormous twenty page assignment on the human paradox that I’ve doubtless mentioned on here before. I’m still proud of that.

Volunteered for that thing where the American students came and we had to be their buddy for the day. The first time was really good, the girl I was paired with was really nice, but the second time I wound up with a stuck up Barbie doll who ditched me at lunchtime. So mixed feelings about all of that.

Played hockey again this year. And we didn’t lose all our games!! I think we might have even won a couple!! Yayness!

Actually attended the school Sports Day, because of the Student Council drinks stall and the fact that Misato was staying with us at that point.

Had Misato and Aya, two Japanese students stay at our place for two weeks each.

Went to Japan for three months and stayed with Misato. I’m not going to write too much more about that, because I think I’ve bored everyone with that for the last four months of this blog. Although I do think it’s such a big deal I ought to write it several times.

Went to Japan for three months and stayed with Misato. I’m not going to write too much more about that, because I think I’ve bored everyone with that for the last four months of this blog. Although I do think it’s such a big deal I ought to write it several times.

Went to Japan for three months and stayed with Misato. I’m not going to write too much more about that, because I think I’ve bored everyone with that for the last four months of this blog. Although I do think it’s such a big deal I ought to write it several times. (High point of the year.)
Hee hee hee.

Flew down to Hobart for my Grandpa’s funeral. (Low point of the year.)

Somehow (I’m still not entirely sure how this happened) managed to get a bunch of awards at the Awards night. I find this mildly hilarious, considering the fact that I have no idea how I managed to get any of them.

Consumed absurd amounts of ham, pavlova and rum-less rum balls, which are traditionally our Christmas
treats, in order to stock up for the rest of the year.

Burnt my skin to a crisp in a single trip to the beach and spent the next week rubbing moisturiser into my face, shoulders, arms and back.

Been on my Uncle’s doughnut, attatched to the back of their boat and achieved aching arm muscles in addition to my third degree burns. Although that is really fun. Until you fall off that is. That’s just scary.

Hmm. Not bad, not bad at all.

Due to my complete lack of creativity (I’m still blaming jet lag) I have decided to make a list of… lists.

See? Told you I was creative.

How to check in successfully

Hi.

Okay. I:m going to attempt to explain the unexplainable. Sarah, Kara and I have been trying all week, but with zilch to show for it. So I figured I may as well try again. Here goes:

I want to go home, but I don:t.

I:ve been here for almost three months now, so even though I:ve had an absolutely fantabulous time here, I:m sort of ready to go home. I miss everyone and just Australia-land generally. Especially the food. I could so go for some of Mum:s chicken pasta bake right about now. Actually I could pretty much go anything that doesn:t involve chopsticks or rice.

But on the other hand, the past three months have been the most AMAZING, INCREDIBLE and just generally FAN-DIDDILY-TASTIC (Be warned, this is what too much of ‘The Simpsons’ does to you) three months of my life. I:ll really be sad to go, knowing that chances are I:ll never see these incredible people or places ever again. Which is a real bummer. I love everyone here so much, they:ve all been so nice to me (despite the whole ‘kawaii’ / ‘herro’ thing) and I:m really going to miss them. Alot.

It:s also going to be really depressing going back to good ol’ Elanora High after this. Pretty much all we:ve been able to say about it recently is ‘Elanora’s a hole’. And yeah, I know, it:s not THAT bad. But Yokosuka Sogo High School is THAT GOOD.

Eargh. This is frustrating me.

Although I guess what I:m trying to say is this:-

I:m looking forward to going home, but I:m going to miss this place A LOT.

I:m going to cry when we leave, I can feel it.

Aw, geez.

P.S. Kara has taken to calling me ro-ra lately, which is the Japanese-ised version of my name. I have to say I find this somewhat disturbing.