Returning from dead!

Hello again friends! It seems that I have neglected you without even noticing that a month has passed.... I am sorry.

Anyways...... So I really haven't done anything in the last month.... I found a closer arcade that has the Gundam game I really like. So I went there and took a video of the game..... This game is awesome....

Speaking of awesome games.... You'll never guess what game was released last Saturday here in Japan! I was so excited for this release I went and waited outside of a store in Kawagoe for it. I was 2 hours early and ended up being the 4th in a line of about 40..... So far I have put in somewhere around 20 hours. The game is in Japanese, but that hasn't stopped my drive to finish this current installment to a series in which I have put in a recorded 900 hours in the last 2 years alone..... Thats right, the 4 or 5 people that understood, the newest Pokemon game just came out. I am kicking ass and the only other person who has it is one of our PAs and she is so far behind me its not even funny.

So, I think that sometime in the next week I will be getting my phone. From what I understand, the total cost for the phone itself will be around $300.00 USD. Moving on to less financial things.....

I suppose I should give everyone a break down of my typical day here in Japan. I wake up at around 7. I stumble out of bed and get dressed. Then I pack my bag for school and shut off my airconditioner, maybe open a window or my patio door. Next I head to my host families house, coming from the main house, and I enjoy a breakfast that is typically, eggs, sausage or bacon, 2 large slices of toast, and maybe a bowl of rice. At between 7:30 and 7:45 I leave for school in a chorus of goodbyes and traditional greetings. I take my bike and at the first major intersection I say hello to the older crossing guard lady, and we talk for the 3 minutes I am in talking distance before I get out of range. 3 weeks ago I started saying "Good morning!" in a very respectful/distal style, and this last week, we have been shouting the equivalent of "Yo! Mornin'!" to each other, apparently we are friends now. After another 15 minutes of riding, I reach my bike parking lot, and head to my station. After a total of about 20-25 minutes, I am standing on the platform, ready to take the train up 6 stations by local and 3 by express. I arrive at Kamefukioka, the town where my school is, and I walk the 5 minutes from that station to Tokyo International University. I typically arrive at 8:20, and I chill until class starts at 9:10. At 9:10 I begin my first class of the day. My Japanese class is a 3 hour chunk of Japanese only loveliness.... At 12:20, I finish my class and either go to the cafeteria or head to 7-11 for a quick lunch. On Mondays and Thursdays, I have another class from 1:10 to 4:20. When I am done with class I usually go home or stop in Kawagoe or some quick shopping, I am currently looking for a cheap over the shoulder bag. I ride my bike home, and I just kind of hang until around 7 when we usually eat. After dinner I take a shower and head back to my room where I play on the internet and do my homework before heading off to bed at about 11:00. As far as I can tell, my only chore is to take my laundry basket when it is full to my host mom's laundry room.

Thats my life, full of excitement, and bike riding.... Also, I now have Skype, I am online off and on during the day and parts of the night.