Kaori, Jillian and I enjoying Kaiten Sushi in Miyazaki
Kaori graduated from Evergreen last year, but she is also going to be graduating from Miyazaki this year. Unfortunately, because I was in Alaska at the time of her ceremony in Olympia, I didn't have a chance to attend. After graduation in Olympia, Kaori and her friend Kazumi had planned a road trip around the west coast, including California, Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho, I think. Although Jillian and I had a little influence at the front office for on-campus summer housing, Kaori didn't need the quarter-long lease that was the only thing they could provide. Since I was going to be in Alaska anyway, I suggested that Kaori use my place to stay at and prepare for her trip, since she also had a lot of things she wanted to pack and ship to Japan before returning.
Kaori has done so much for Jill and I that we're always more than happy to spend time with her, too. Throughout the quarter she would often hang out with us and our friends, helping us with our Japanese as we helped her with our English. We also cooked a lot of times together, Kaori often exposing us to Americanized Japanese dishes with fun, improvised ingredients. She and another exchange student, Kanako, also spent some time with Jill at her family's house in Bellevue during one of the breaks last year.
A few weeks ago, Jillian had the opportunity to visit Kaori's family's home here on Kyushu. Jill wrote a two part entry about her trip here and here.
Me, Jill and Kaori eating (Surprise Surprise) Okonomiyaki
Kaori has done so much for Jill and I that we're always more than happy to spend time with her, too. Throughout the quarter she would often hang out with us and our friends, helping us with our Japanese as we helped her with our English. We also cooked a lot of times together, Kaori often exposing us to Americanized Japanese dishes with fun, improvised ingredients. She and another exchange student, Kanako, also spent some time with Jill at her family's house in Bellevue during one of the breaks last year.
A few weeks ago, Jillian had the opportunity to visit Kaori's family's home here on Kyushu. Jill wrote a two part entry about her trip here and here.
Me, Jill and Kaori eating (Surprise Surprise) Okonomiyaki
Jillian and I are really blessed with having so many kind friends here in Japan. Charlie let us stay with him for a while and showed us around in Kansai, (He also provides continuing moral support!) Midori helps us plan trips and book hotels or search for things we're hoping to buy online to help us find the best price, Satomi drives Jillian to places both exotic and mundane, Max accompanies us downtown or walks with Jillian places late at night so she won't be alone when I'm not around, Erina, (one of Jillian's floor mates) takes care of Shiva-chan when we're away, and Kaori has shared her time, car, and home with Jillian more times than we can remember. Everyone, of course, also constantly helps us with our Japanese.
A few days before I left, Kaori took us to a hotel bar in Aoshima to meet her friend, Kazue. Kazue used to live in the International Dorm where Jillian lives now before she graduated a few years ago, although she is not an international student. (A lot of Japanese students live in the International Dorm because they like the people and ambiance there) She, (Kazue) is just starting out as an elementary school teacher, and was excited to meet Jillian and I as she wanted to practice some English. It's kind of funny, because lots of people want to practice English with Americans, and and lot of Americans want to practice their Japanese at the same time. So, it becomes this kind of bi-lingual conversation, with Jill and I asking questions or answering in Japanese, and the people we're talking with asking questions or answering in English. It's actually really fun, since both sides get to listen and respond, although we also sometimes switch it up so that we can listen to proper pronunciation as well. (Kaori, of course, was always available to translate if things got complicated.)
Kaori, Kazue, me and Jill at the bar where Kazue used to work
A few days before I left, Kaori took us to a hotel bar in Aoshima to meet her friend, Kazue. Kazue used to live in the International Dorm where Jillian lives now before she graduated a few years ago, although she is not an international student. (A lot of Japanese students live in the International Dorm because they like the people and ambiance there) She, (Kazue) is just starting out as an elementary school teacher, and was excited to meet Jillian and I as she wanted to practice some English. It's kind of funny, because lots of people want to practice English with Americans, and and lot of Americans want to practice their Japanese at the same time. So, it becomes this kind of bi-lingual conversation, with Jill and I asking questions or answering in Japanese, and the people we're talking with asking questions or answering in English. It's actually really fun, since both sides get to listen and respond, although we also sometimes switch it up so that we can listen to proper pronunciation as well. (Kaori, of course, was always available to translate if things got complicated.)
Kaori, Kazue, me and Jill at the bar where Kazue used to work
I was really energetic the night we went to visit, (the same night as the kaiten sushi picture to pictures above, actually) so I was really excited to speak in Japanese, too. The bar wasn't very busy, and Kazue's co-workers, who were also Miyazaki University students, came and spoke with us as well. It was a fun opportunity for us all to practice the languages we were learning, even if it was a little unexpected. We started with simple questions like, "What are your favorite American movies?" to which they responded, "Die Hard" and "E.T." I explained that 「こどものとき、私のうちに亀がいました。亀の名前はE.T.でした。」 (Essentially, in my childhood, there was a turtle at my house. His name was E.T.)
Kaori, Kazue's coworkers, myself and Jill. (The guy on the left liked E.T., and the guy on the right liked Die Hard)
When I asked the men if we (Jillian and I) were like they imagined Americans to be, they said that we were smaller than they imagined Americans (more slender) and that I was really talkative. I had to laugh that off, of course! They also said that when they first met me, they thought I looked like I could be a Japanese person, so I explained that 「私のおばあさんは東京に住んでいます。おばあさんは日本人です。」 (My grandma lives in Tokyo. She's Japanese) It's pretty simple Japanese, but I was glad to be able to use it!
Kaori, Kazue's coworkers, myself and Jill. (The guy on the left liked E.T., and the guy on the right liked Die Hard)
When I asked the men if we (Jillian and I) were like they imagined Americans to be, they said that we were smaller than they imagined Americans (more slender) and that I was really talkative. I had to laugh that off, of course! They also said that when they first met me, they thought I looked like I could be a Japanese person, so I explained that 「私のおばあさんは東京に住んでいます。おばあさんは日本人です。」 (My grandma lives in Tokyo. She's Japanese) It's pretty simple Japanese, but I was glad to be able to use it!
The pretty fruit-champagne beverage that Jillian was adventurous enough to try. It was good, but a bit bitter for my taste. I went with a ストラベリーコラダ (Strawberry Colada) instead.
After visiting Kazue, Kaori took Jill and I back to the dorms. A few days after, Kaori was kind enough to drive Jillian and I to the Ferry Termial to catch the Osaka Express from Miyazaki to Osaka. (That's actually where the Okonomiyaki picture above comes from, too... don't you love how much pictures are horribly out of order?)
Me at the Ferry Terminal - That's the Osaka Express in the background!
Me at the Ferry Terminal - That's the Osaka Express in the background!
Before I move on to the return to Kansai, I'm actually going to write a post about gifting culture here. There's also a really nice lady we met that I forgot to write about earlier, so I'll write a bit about her, too. This concludes the first Miyazaki visit for now, though. Don't worry, there will be plenty more about Miyazaki later!
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