Hello everyone!

I am currently studying abroad at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. I will be here studying Japanese until the end of July. The classes are really intense, but already I think my Japanese skills have improved a lot. I worry sometimes that I will forget English. I may have already forgotten some words. Even now as I type I think my writing will sound funny.

This past weekend I had my first homestay. It was uncomfortable at first because I was alone with people I'd never seen before and they didn't speak English. I had a real Japanese meal for the first time. My favorite thing was surprisingly a block of tofu with ginger, sesame seeds, and soy sauce on the top. I also had miso soup, which I don't think I like. The taste was so new I almost don't want to say I dislike it without giving it another chance. Apparently I "ate like a little bird." Ooo so embarrassing!

I also went to an undoukai (athletic meeting) with my host family. In Japan undoukai are a fairly big deal. I got to participate in a race with my host father where we ran carring a basket. We had to stop and pick up four squishy balls with chopsticks, then continue to run to pass the basket to our teammates. My host father was so fast with his chopsticks!!!

If you are interested you can look at some of my photos on facebook.
Here is the public link.

That's all for now. I hope to write more interesting things soon!