Okay, so no planes today. But there were definitely trains and little kid roller coasters. Today I left the house of my homestay family from four years ago, the last time I was an exchange student. It was very chill. I mean that in the relaxed sense, and also in the temperature sense because it was snowing. SNOW! We saw a temple in the morning and then watched three hours of CSI. Ah, Japan! A fusion of the old and new.
The next day was much the same, except we watched a 2 hour movie of the host daughter´s school´s sports day, filmed with a handheld camera. TWO HOURS. But I was hanging out with my host mom so I didn´t mind. :)
So today I hopped on two bullet trains. It was crazy, we started out in snow (yes, it was snowing!!) and then we literally sped into a new climate. I am in Tokyo now and it is pretty mild. Crazy! I sat next to a very nice boy on the train to Tokyo...he saw that I had my massively obese backpack and moved his seat upright so I could fit it behind us, and I was like ¨It´s fine¨ in Japanese and then we apologized about it for ten minutes. We both sat down to read but neither of us really wanted to, it seemed like, and I couldn´t think of a way to start a conversation. Then he asked to pull down the shade and I said ¨it´s fine,¨ and then he had to get up for a second and I was like ¨it´s fine,¨ and then I was thinking gosh he is going to think all I know how to say is It´s Fine.
Finally we were arriving in Tokyo, and I offered him some gum, and then he asked me where I came from, and I told him the whole story and he said he was a first year college student studying medicine. He said my Japanese was really good, but when people talk this is what I hear:
¨I am....student....medicine studying.....this weekend....isn´t it?¨ and i say yes, how interesting. Studying medicine is hard. and he says ¨Yes, but...and so...in high school....not too hard.¨ and i say oh that´s good. so it sounds like i am paying attention but really i´m just barely.
I do seem to be making lots of friends on trains...people must see this poor ragged looking foreigner hoisting 50 kilos of crap on her back and think ¨aw.¨ two days ago i was about to miss my connection because I didn´t know to get off the train, and this old lady was like ¨Hurry! You´ll be late! Conductor, wait!¨ and then, I am not kidding, FIFTEEN other grandmas sitting nearby all started making clucking noises and saying things like ¨Don´t forget your purse! Did you get everything? Move out of the way for the girl! Here she comes! Be careful, now!¨ It was like in the span of that 20 minute train ride everyone sitting near me decided to be my host grandma without me knowing. Thanks to them I got out in time, so hey!
On the train before the Tokyo train, there was a lot of snow outside so it was easy to strike up a convo with the lady next to me. (aka, ¨Some snow, huh!¨) At the end of the trip,, she gave me an extra coffee she had lying around in purse and helped me get to my platform. SO FRIENDLY!
I know, i know, you´re all wondering, ¨So what happened with the boy on the train to Tokyo??¨ I wish I could tell you it was something schmaltzy, like we looked into each other´s eyes and kissed and parted in tears, but we sort of just looked at each other and looked away and laughed awkwardly and then ran in opposite directions. I DID say ¨bye¨... yeah he was cute but who´s got time for romance on a trip like this?
Anyway, so the kiddie roller coaster. On the website of this hostel I am staying at in Tokyo, it says ¨Kiddie Theme Park nearby!¨ And I thought oh, how quaint. Little did I know they meant ¨Kiddie Theme Park RIGHT NEXT DOOR!!¨ I tried to take a nap this afternoon but it was hard to sleep, what with screams every 30 seconds. Poor weary travelers, who come so far only to have their afternoon siestas interrupted by the intermittent shrieks of children...
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