Homestay Diaries--> with updates =D

*Faithfully transcribed from the notebook in which I wrote during my homestay this past weekend.

*I have also since actually finished this post and included help for the Japanese (scroll over).

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I need to write about my homestay weekend. I do NOT want to forget anything.

Day 1 --> 金曜日

I was the very last person to be picked up from SANC's Asakasa [Nogizaka] office. I got there at 3 pm and paced, tried nervously speaking 日本語　with the 先生, fanned myself and others in the 329741 degree room, and in general flipped out from excitement and worry 'til Kobanawa-san came for me at 6 pm.

I would have easily waited more for that man.

My ♥ kind of sank when I saw it was an otoko の　人　b/c they're generally not as bubbly and they mumble a lot. I also felt he would be stern and judge me for knowing practically no Japanese though I've been studying for like 10 months.

ちがう！　

He's practically the nicest, warmest, happiest man I've ever met. He knows English well so [he] is able to help me search for unknown words or explain something new in a way (i.e. a language) I can actually understand. He works for Deutsche(?) Bank and is very wordly, having studied at UCSD [University of California at San Diego] and traveled a bunch (Quito!). He also thinks I'm really cool ^__^. Yay ego boost.

His wife is super nice, too, and his two musumee, ゆか (五） and かなえ （九） are so KAWAII!

My 1st grave/embarrassing/hilarious mishap was right after arriving at their gorgeous house. Both お母さん　AND　お父さん　were helping make dinner and ゆか brought me a plastic cup with an aluminum foil lid that she got out of the fridge and made "どうぞ”　motions. She took what looked like orange Jello our of it and handed it to me. As she's telling me it's "スライム　(slime), I stick it in my mouth.

Instant panic from お母さん　AND　かなえ。　”食べない！”　

Translation? "That's not FOOD, you moron!"

...

Needless to say, I found a bathroom ASAP and disposed of the NOT-Jello.

In spite of starting my homestay weekend looking like I'm retarded [and poorly fed] (or maybe because of it...), and reenacting what I'm sure is every single faux pas a Gaijin could possibly commit, they have been SO nice. I'm completely in love with こばなわ　and company.　

たとえば、　I mentioned to お父さん　that we were gonna climb　ふじ山　at some point, and he instantly pulled out a corresponding map (map を　pull out ことにしている)　and gave me advice on how to get there (bus from Shinjuku), when to go (mid-July is kind of　あぶない), which of 4 routes to take to reach the summit (一ばんかんたん、　もちろん), and why it's awesome　(::insert recounting of two times he climbed ふじ山 here::).

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To be continued when I'm not falling asleep at the keyboard ^__^

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Continuation:

We talked A LOT (as best as I could--and I SWEAR I stuck to 日本語だけ。　English would have been too easy) and covered lots of different topics. I would tell him about my 友達　and once after I mentioned Nick-chan, he said,

"そう、　アリちゃん　の　ボイフレーンド　だ　ねえ。”　

HAHAHAHAHA. 何　です　か？！

When he picked me up from the SANC オヒス, we just chilled and chatted with one of the 先生 for a bit (名前　を　わすれちゃった。。。　じつは, I don't think I ever knew it). I mentioned how I went to Kyoto last year and explained the Genji class and that Nick-chan also went. That, plus the fact that me and him are together and hug-y a lot, made 先生　think we're really together. Turns out, while お父さん and　先生 were talking and I was tuned out because I ceased to understand, that misinformation was relayed. 　お父さん thought the whole thing was hilarious and decided he rather likes Nick-chan, too, I think ^__^

I also have to say I am in the SWEETEST guest room EVER. It's a real life 和しつ, a　たたみ room! I think they worried I might not be used to it and would be uncomfortable, but I was ecstatic and declared it perfect. I wish my apartment had a　和しつ!

Day 2 --> 土曜日　

Slept great, though it WAS a little あつい　in the morning (ahem). Granted, it was ~34 degrees Celcius outside (37 degrees C is body temperature, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, to put that into perspective), so whatevs. We went to a humongous スーパー to get ingredients for lunch and dinner, and on the way saw my first ever　日本　の gas station. At the　スーパー, they were giving out food samples (COSTCO-like!) and one lady managed to get ゆか to accept a "jelly." Then she turned to　お父さん and me while we were walking away and said, 　

”お母さん　と　お父さん　も？”　

”へええええええ！”　

SOMEHOW, I was mistaken for ゆか's mom, my お父さん's WIFE.

Does that mean I looked like a 日本人？？？？？？