Monday-
As I previously said, we had plans to hike Ichifusa on Monday. We were going to make it to the top! I woke up, and it was a beautiful morning. I made some breakfast and woke up Ian. He whined and complained about being sore from the sports festival the previous day and said that he wouldn’t hike. To say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. I was a little peeved because we didn’t hike on Saturday since we said we’d go on Monday. He wasn’t willing to give, so I made him PROMISE that we hike this Sunday. Come hell or high water, we’re going to the top on Sunday. 
Instead of hiking, we decided to go to Hitoyoshi. We didn’t really have specific plans there. Ian suggested that we start off our day at the electronics store trying out the massage chairs. It was actually a really good idea, and we got a free massage out of it! Some of the chairs were REALLY impressive. They had control panels and everything. We ran into one of our friends randomly there and talked for a bit. After that, we went to the Walmart store. I never thought I would be so crazy about it, but now that we have a bit of yard, I’m excited to plant things! It’s too bad that it’s fall and things will be dead in a few weeks. That doesn’t stop me from looking at seeds and plants and planning what we’re going to put in the front bed. We bought a bento (boxed lunch) at the Walmart store and decided to have a picnic lunch in the park. There’s a really cool park in Hitoyoshi that is on an island in the middle of the river. We went there and had a feast of fried chicken balls, fried rice, dumplings, and sweet bread. When we had finished stuffing our faces, we walked down to the river. Someone had built a castle area in the sand, so Ian decided to continue building. I waded in the river for a little while, but it was too cold! The cold water makes me nervous about rafting the river on Saturday! After our park time, we went to the 100 yen store, which is basically the dollar store. I love going there. Not only can you get some deals, but it has really cool stuff there. Maybe it’s because it’s Japan and everything is new and different, but it seems like the 100 yen stores here are much cooler than the dollar stores in the States.
Once we got back to Yunomae, I spent the rest of the night dreading going back to work on Tuesday. I don’t care how much you love or hate your job, no one wants to go back after a three day weekend!
Tuesday-
Tuesday was relatively uneventful. I’m getting much more comfortable talking to students, and they are becoming more courageous by approaching me. I’ve found that a good way to get in with them is to act silly. I told Ian that I don’t mind making a fool of myself for the students. (However, whenever I make a fool of myself because I don’t understand what’s going on, that’s different.) For example, when I was walking down the hall, everyone in 3-1 class looked at me and said hello. I stopped what I was doing and started dancing for them, then mummy walking, and whatever else to get a laugh. It worked!
I had to stay after school again and help the students with their pronunciation. I hate the work-after-work part, but it’s a really great way to get to know the students. They’ll ask me things that they’d probably be too embarrassed to ask in class or during the break time. Today, they asked me what my favorite thing about Ian was and what my favorite season was. That topic led to a discussion about snow and the proper way to throw a snowball.
Ian and I decided to start a healthy lifestyle diet. It’s the same plan that Ian did while I was in Spain, and he really slimmed down and beefed up during those three months. It’s not a diet because we think we’re fat, but since being here we’ve noticed a loss in muscle tone. I never really had much to begin with outside of the legs, and Ian always makes fun of me about that. Ian’s lost muscle tone since he’s mostly stationary now. I ALWAYS ask him to walk with me, but for one reason or another, he never wants to go. Therefore, we made a compromise. We would start a high protein diet so that we would gain muscle. This diet consists of a high protein breakfast, healthy morning snack, high protein lunch, healthy afternoon snack, and high protein dinner. Every other day, we work on gaining muscle mass like Ian wants. On the off days, we walk like I want to. Compromise.
No comments:
Post a Comment