Every day

Each day that passes I feel more and more at home here. Mind you, the upcoming holidays have brought up some sentimentalism and longing for home. Nonetheless, I am making new friends, and forming new bonds with people here. With every passing day I feel more comfortable. Although I haven’t yet spent much time with Japanese people (outside of the daily life aspect) I am looking forward to spend more time with Japanese friends this coming week.

I went to the Osaka International House, to sign up for language exchanges, and so far I have been in contact with a few people who want to practice their English and Spanish, in exchange for teaching me Japanese. Next week, I’ll be going for a walk around town with my friend Rika, whom I met soon after arriving to Osaka. I’ll bring my camera along to take some pictures.

Some of the most unique experiences I’ve had here are:

Buying beer from a street vending machine
Buying smokes from a street vending machine
Seeing a cemetery the size of my bedroom
Seeing a Cadillac STS with the steering wheel on the right side
Feeding deer at a park, followed by being chased by deer at a park.
Trying to find bar deodorant
Trying to find Colgate toothpaste
Riding trains everywhere
Walking home at 3am and finding a bar open
Not buying a cell phone
Getting my shoes shined at the subway station
Getting a massage where the girl walks on your back
Heated toilet seats with a water spray to help you get clean.
The balcony is for doing laundry
Waking up to the chanting of monks from the temple down the street
Eating and drinking for 10 consecutive hours, and waking up refreshed the next day
Having a beer and a cigarette in a subway train. Just doing as some Japanese do.
Jaywalking is illegal here. So when you do it, make sure you’re surrounded by Japanese jaywalkers.
Trying to fit into a 12 inch hole in a column at a temple.
Drinking chemical beer.
Eating a 900 yen potato.

These are only some of the things I have seen and experiences I can remember at this time. There is a shitload more things I can’t write down.

Celio