Week 2 back was pretty good.
From where my last post left off, I’ve been pretty busy in the best way. It’s been fun to see my students after a long time, and after work, it’s been fun to see my friends.
Last Friday night, I had some delicious pasta and wine at a fancy Italian place near my school.
Saturday night, I planned to stay in and study, but I ended up going out after all. We went out to my favorite coffee shop + bar (think Walker’s or Hendershot’s in Athens, but smaller) and then to my favorite izakaya for buttery grilled scallops and shiitake + tuna sashimi. We ended the night at a traditional old bar called あいうえおでん and made it home before 2am.
The next day had an early start. My coworker drove me and my other coworker to Toyama city for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test). For those who don’t know, the test has 5 levels, N5-N1, with N1 being the most difficult. I went for the N4 level. The test was painfully long (12:30pm to 4:30pm), but I think it went okay. We won’t know the results until the end of January or early February.
After the test, we spent the rest of the evening eating uncontrollably. It started with a burger at McDonald’s and continued with snacks at the world’s most beautiful Starbucks, followed by the chef’s recommended course at a restaurant that serves only bacon-wrapped delicacies on a stick (the best was either okra or boiled egg), and ending with popcorn at an all-you-can-drink karaoke place.
We caught the last train back to Takaoka at 11:30, but ended up a different karaoke place for 3 more hours of singing. No, it was not necessary. Yes, my throat was sore the next day. Still worth it.
I’m still trying to make this a year of self-improvement, so it’s not ALL fun and games. I scheduled my next three Japanese lessons, and on Thursday, I joined a gym. My coworkers go to the same gym, so hopefully we can give each other the motivation to go at least a few times a week.
Now back to the fun and games, this weekend has been just as good as the last! One of my friends hosted a small party at his apartment on Friday night, so we went there for his home-cooked stuffing, salad, stew, and banana muffins. We played trivia and bingo, and I won some chocolate and miso soup.
Finally, last night we had Okinawan food (ate the bitter melon for you, Lolo) and beer and, yet again, went to karaoke. I woke up at about 1:30pm today, and now here we are.
I don’t know how exciting this update was (maybe you had to be there), but I’m trying to uphold my weekly post goals.
Looking forward to the next week 🙂
Alisa & a Visa 