Hooooraaaaaaay

Yep, my Internet is up and running again! It doesn't seem as fast as it was before it was disconnected, but I'm not going to complain! So because I have missed out on posting for a month or so, I will fill you in step-by-step every couple of days... I don't want to give you a mass to read all at once!

This entry's topic: I have a friend!

One of my co-workers introduced me to his ex co-worker a few weeks ago. Her name is Chikako and I see her a couple of times every week. She stayed in Australia for a month last year (she even has a photo of herself and some students at Heidelberg Primary!), and is trying to learn as much English as possible. We have done many things together. I have visited her house (which has heated floorboards) and she has cooked dinner for me. We also went for a day trip to Ishikawa to try out an onsen and have a massive lunch. Here is a picture of what I dared to try:
Yep! I ate raw shrimp (which still had its bright blue eggs inside, ew), crab brain (I didn't know they had brains), raw shellfish and fugu! Fugu is the blowfish (you know, the one that Homer ate and was going to die because of it...) As many of you know I am a seafood "disliker", so I had to get some "real" food into me. This is "shabu shabu". It's basically thinly sliced beef that you boil at your table and dip into a delicious sauce.
I have been lucky enough to experience Japanese culture with Chikako. Every week, we go to an ikebana (flower arrangement) and tea ceremony class. I never thought that the act of making tea was so difficult! Here is a picture of my first ikebana:
I enjoy ikebana, it really makes you appreciate each flower. Normally I would just plonk some flowers into a vase, but ikebana makes you consider the angles of each flower and how they should be arranged to be aesthetically pleasing.
So it's good to be back in the "real world". It's funny that I consider the Internet to be the real world... Please leave a comment!

Lotsaluv,

Suzi