I just need to get myself on a more strict schedule.
Anyway, there are two main things I'd like to write about today: autumn leaves and Thanksgiving. I'll start with Thanksgiving.
Since there are no Native American Indians or Pilgrims in Japan, there is of course no Thanksgiving Day here. I also wasn't able to find turkey or American pumpkin to make pumpkin pie. There are a few more international food stores I haven't been to yet, but something tells me that they won't have turkey readily available haha.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned to my friend Takuya that Thanksgiving was coming up and I wasn't looking forward to spending it alone. He and some of my other friends decided to hold a Thanksgiving party for me and other international students that they know. So last night we went to a Japanese restaurant and ate dinner (Japanese food, not turkey or traditional Thanksgiving food) together while talking. It really didn't have anything to do with the actual meaning of Thanksgiving, but I really appreciate that they held an event for all of us so that we wouldn't be lonely. It was a lot of fun! Then I was able to talk to my family via Skype this morning for quite a while so we could celebrate Thanksgiving together. It was nice to see Mamaw, Papaw, and all of my family!
Since I have Skype I haven't really been homesick yet. My friends here are really nice and often invite me to events, or we just hang out and talk. Being able to talk to my family online and having friends to hang out with all the time has kept me from getting lonely. So far, no homesickness, but I'm not barely 3 months into this year long adventure. We'll see how I feel come Christmas. Hopefully my friends and I can all get together and celebrate Christmas, otherwise, I'll probably feel pretty lonely.
Although, Christmas in Japan is very different that in the States. In the States, Christmas is the biggest family holiday of the year, but in Japan it's one of the biggest days for couples. Yes, if Japanese people have a boyfriend or girlfriend they spend Christmas with their koibito (lover) and not their familiy. In Japan, New Year's is the big family holiday. So I guess you could say it's the opposite from the States since most Americans spend New Year's with their friends or boyfriend/girlfriend. I find it very amusing and yet confusing at the same time. It does frustrate me though that Christmas is a couple's holiday in Japan though...it's so far from it's actual purpose, celebrating the birth of Christ! Well, I'll probably spend the holiday with the members at my church here in Kyoto though so I'm sure it'll be celebrated for the right reasons there. :)
Anywho, on to autumn leaves. Right now, the leaves in Kyoto are changing colors. It's really beautiful!
Since I have a few days off school this week for Doshisha's school festival, I've been traveling around with my friends. We went to Kurama mountain on Tuesday (which was difficult to climb, but definitely a fun experience!) and a few temples in that area. The leaves were beautiful and I had a great time with my friends.
That afternoon we met up with some more friends and ate a boxed lunch together by the river. In the evening, we went to a "light up." It's basically going to a temple at night, but they use bright lights to shine on the trees and the leaves seem to glow at night. My photos don't really do justice to their beauty, but hopefully you can at least get a vague idea from the photos. (I just realize I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet so I'll do that once I get back from todays trip!)
Well, as you can tell from the fact that there are now photos (below) in my blog, I finally got my computer to cooperate with me so I can post pictures! As soon as I have time, there will be an onslaught of photos haha!
But for now, I have to get ready to go. Today is another day off school so I'm going to do some more traveling around the area with my friends.
Until next time,
