Big Changes. Small Changes.

Okay. I'm awful. I know. It's been way too long and way too much has happened in the last few months to really give the long and detailed so I'll give the short and dirty.

I'm a soccer champion! My women's soccer team took home the first prize in the Japan ALT Women's Football Tournamen! VERY excited about that. Last fall we took 3rd. In the spring 2nd. And finally brought home the big one and a few cases of beer to Yamanashi. It was a very wet and crazy weekend but well worth it all.

I'm taking a linguistics course! It's a linguistics course that focuses on the Japanese language. It's very interesting but takes a lot of time to study appropriately for it. I got A's on my first two homework assignments, just sent in the third and just got the books for month four now.

I have a TEST in December! I'm taking 2kyu of the Japanese Language Proficency Test. I took 3 last year and passed. 2 is a huge jump in content and difficulty but I'm studying VERY hard for this last month in order to pass. Because of that linguistics course, I haven't been able to study like I wanted. And since I've been getting good marks in the course, I wanted to continue to put as much into it as I could so my studying for this exam has been cut back. But for the next 25 days...its JLPT TIME.

I have a boyfriend now! After a year and some change of back and forth "open relationship", if you will, BB and I are officially a couple. VERY HAPPY about that. He's a great boyfriend. I knew he would be. I'm going to meet the fam during the holidays so its pretty big for both of us and we are both very happy.

I'm going HOME! First at Christmas, then for good in August. I decided when I was in Europe that Japan was just too "samui" for me. The cold weather. How long it takes to warm up the people to actually make friends. I'm tired of it. I need to feel the warmth. So, I'm leaving Japan. Where I'm going next is still a mystery, but the big part, the decision to leave has been made and I'm very very happy about that.

I have a hole in my belly! That's my most recent one and the one I'm the most excited about. (Next to being with BB!) I absolutely love it. I don't know why I waited so long to get it done. It looks like its been there forever.

Well, that's enough updating for now. Will post pictures later!!!