Yukiwofuruda!!!

Title: It's snowing!!!!

Guess what everyone! It's actually snowing! Look Proof!




It was awesome. It snowed ALL day Saturday, and Sunday...and then it was gone the next day. It's generally cold enough for it to snow, but now to stick. We had this huge snow ball fight in front of the seminar house, and it was glorious. Actually in Japanese its not called a snow ball fight, its a snow ball match. Like a competition. Well, we won. We also found an ice skating rink in Sakae, a real ice rink, now that we went to Monday night. And that was a blast, sadly no one has put pictures up on facebook yet, so I have to pics to put up. I figured it was a good idea not to take my new camera out into a dangerous potentially wet situation. So in the mean time, some pictures from the field trip.

Last Wednesday the exchange students had our field trip for this winter term. Noting special just a day trip to the Seto Campus of the college. Located remotely in the mountains an hour and a half bus ride outside the city. Now if I had come here three years earlier we would have been out there instead of in the city. Our campus here is only three years old. We were told that buses rarely run from the Seto campus into the city daily, and none at all in the summer. Saito- sensei (the hamster crushing one) tells us that to entertain themselves the exchange students used to go into the mountains and pick berries...and for some reason I actually believe that.

We didn't pick berries that day though, we went down this road to this medium sized building that was actually the ceramics studio! Yes, I almost peed myself with excitment. I hadn't worked with clay in a long time so I was really looking forward to this. Thing is, this decently sized building was not heated in the slightest. There were two sad looking space heaters on either side the the single room.

Then we found out that we weren't there to just throw pottery, but we also got to paint an already made piece. I chose a plate and promtly set to work. The Art Professor helping us all looked over my shoulder while I was sketching out with a pencil before I painted and he told me that I was an Art Major. Not he asked, and I confirmed it, he stated- told me that I was one. To my embarassment for the rest of the time he made sure that I had sharp pencils, and all the colors I needed. I was, however, the first to get to throw.



The cup in the middle is mine! I couldn't do it by myself though, you know having little to no experience with an actual potter wheel. But the Professor sat on the other side of the wheel, and helped. He looked really happy that I only needed help starting it, and that I caught on fast. The plate on the left of my cup is Abby's. and here's what I painted on my plate, we haven't gotten them back yet, but I think it should be soon.




Jessica, Dylan (Daisy), and Myself.

The day ended with us all going to another onsen, a hot spring, more of a public hot bath actually. But it was really nice, I obviously don't have any pictures of that. It was so nice on my sore muscles from karate. Oh, did I mention that Abby and I joined the Karate Club? It's friggin' awesome. We are officially white belts, have out own gi (the white outfit) and everything.



Like I said, its wonderful. First day we started hitting each other. Don't worry, we have these padded boxing-esque gloves that we wear while doing it. Oh, and yea I cut my hair. It was getting to the point that it was giving my headaches again. I just had Abby help my trim it up a bit while the rice was cooking for supper. :)



I like it, its a lot lighter and it doesn't get caught in hair dryers anymore. Actually thats a lie, I still manage that last one some how. But its rather similar to the hat thing and everyone likes it more than me! It will look good at my internship. oh yea, and I have a week long internship at a Grade School. Most of us got into the Grade School actually, I'm not really sure what we're doing there. I was just told to sign up so I did. maybe I'll have more info on that next time.

All is well
Love Gretchen