I am finally finished with all the school festivals that I had to go to. One Saturday and one today. The weather was so nice yesterday and the festival was by far my favorite. I really like Shoji Elementary School. The principal wants to learn English. The students are very friendly and want to learn. The teachers want to talk to me in English as well although they know very little. They have a lot of activities at the festival that involve the PTA and of course the momma's keep coming over to me every time there was a PTA activity asking me to join. By Saturday at had already been to 2 festivals so I'm getting used to them. Today's was okay too. The weather wasn't quite as nice. It was a little cold this morning but then around 11:30 it started raining. At first only drizzling but as time when on it got worse. They modified the schedule so that it wouldn't last quite as long but just as the closing stretches started we had to move into the gym because it started pouring! There is a traditional warm up and cool down stretch that everyone does together. Its really neat because EVERYONE knows it from the baby kindergarders to the ojisan and obachan's. There is one little pissy ass 6th grader that really gets on my nerves. He thinks he is so funny but I think its rather disrepectful. I really want to tell the little prick about himself. I think it stands out so much because everyone else is pretty nice except for him. Like today they played this game where you had to race for these goodie bags. Well this ass comes over to me and hands the bag to me. As I start to take it from him, he snatches it and runs away. Now that's not something that is uncharacteristic of an awkward ass 6th grader but all of the kids in Kamikuishiki show me much respect and not one of them acts that way with me. He's just a prick and the other students have just spoiled me that's all.

I started recieving an English newspaper this week. Its called the Daily Yomiuri. It has a lot of good coverage and since its one of the main newspaper's in Japan for English speaking people it had world news. I feel more in touch with the world here than when I was in the US. It has a tv schedule of English speaking program and things that are in the original language but subtitled in Japanese are in bold. Tonight's program is Jurassic Park. Its been YEARS since I've seen this movie. Its so weird because I probably would never want to sit down and watch it at home and I'm not really interested in watching here, but just to have something in English talking in the background as I use the internet, write letters, even do my Japanese studying is comforting. I swear when I'm in the four walls of my home I don't really feel like I'm in Japan at all. Wait! I didn't know Samuel L Jackson was in this movie! The things you lean when you least expect it.

I toiled over my head this morning and finally worked it into 2 mother nature french braids. It came out very good and is much less time consuming than braiding my hair up in cornrows at night and trying not to sleep wild. (I know, fat chance) Having natural hair gives me the options that I so desparately need in my life but if I want to do anything other than wear it "curly" it takes a really long time to pick out, grease, comb and brush. But I do like having different hair styles. I was telling my mom about how much time it takes to do my hair and how sometimes I would just kill for a perm. Do you know this woman had the nerve to ask me if I wanted her to send me a "S-curl" Sometimes I think the woman has really lost it. I mean get rid of a perm and get an S-Curl?!? Yeah right!

Tomorrow we have a holiday so I don't have to go to school, but I do have my Japanese lesson in the evening. I don't know if its being lazy or that I really like my apt, but I am so content sitting in here and sleeping my morning away, waking up to do a little laundry and housekeeping, going to the movie store and spending my day in my apt! Sounds like a plan of action right?