Man, I'm far behind...

So I've got three (or four) things that happened that I want to talk about, but I'm only gonna talk about one here (...多分）. Hmm...let's see....so there was the Saturday with my host family, the fire festival, visiting a high school, and what we did today, which was hiking up a mountain and swimming in the river >u<

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Responses to last entry:

mom>> I bought two more creme-filled breads yesterday. It's amazing. haha I have a bread buddy! He loves breads as much as I do.

1cheezymonkey>> OMFG next time you have to go!! It's way too much fun!! haha yeah, it's just regular cantaloupe. Trying to make it fancy? I dunno.

Ahh, thanks~ Now I'll remember France's and Netherlands's flags >w<

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So two (?) weekends ago, I spent the day with my host family. It was really nice! I met the mom and her daughter at the train station, and from there we drove to the house at which the mom was born and raised. It's a traditional style house in the same town, a little more out where the farming and rice fields are. There were a few other people there (family friends and other members of the family). There was stuff set up for nagashi soumen, which is a traditional Japanese summer food where you have a long chute with water running down, and you drop soumen (thin noodles) down it. Then you use your chopsticks to catch them and put it in your cup of sauce and veggies. (Sorry mom, but you would be bad at that hahaha). It was tons of fun! We later tried it with little tomatoes, but that was too difficult XD (they went コロコロdown the chute)

After that, we went inside, and I talked to the daughter and her friend/cousin/I have no idea. Man, I'm so awkward; it's hard to communicate.

Oh yeah, the daughter is either finishing up school, or just out of school. So around that age.

The mom, daughter, cousin/friend, and I drove back to the house the mom lives in now (I think her parents live in the house we ate at). The mom showed me ikebana, or Japanese flower arranging. It seems more difficult than I thought. She told me how there needs to be a balance of color and flower types, and that it is ideal if there is a triangular shape. She was really good, and it was beautiful when it was finished! They're giving us one or two ikebana classes sometime next month I think...I can't wait to take them!

Oh yeah, I also got to meet the other grandmother (who I assume lives there too) and the older daughter, who has two small children!! Soooo cute!! The boy is about 2 or 3, and the girl is still very young, maybe less than a year? Way. Too. Cute.

After that, the mom brought out an old kimono she wore when she was young and let me try it on. It was a beautiful Prussian blue with some flowers on it. And I swear I had to have her repeat herself five times, because I thought I was hearing her wrong when she said she was going to give it to me before I left. I have no idea what to do!! I can't accept something that expensive!!

After that, I went home. Their house is actually very close to mine hehe.

So that was it. Sorry, no pictures this time.

Actually....

Gloria's cup!! Isn't it cute?

K, that's it for now. Later~