Hey all,
I know it's been several days since I made a post, but i've been recovering from jet lag and such and been too busy. But here I am, and here I will remain, I guess, back in the good ol' US of A.
On Saturday I ended up going with Okaasan and Mayu to the Animate in Kyobashi, where I made my last anime purchase and bought two posters. I had wanted to get Mayu a going-away present, but she couldn't find anything in Animate that she liked, so I didn't. Then we at lunch at a local "sakana-ryori" (fish) restaurant, my last really good meal in Japan. Actually quite a lot of food in many small dishes. After that, we parted ways because they were going to see a movie but I had not yet begun to pack AT ALL, so I really needed to get home.
But, instead of going home, I took the train FOR THE LAST TIME (how sad), and went back to Hirakata eki. I still was determined to get Mayu-chan a present, along with more presents for my sisters. I also wanted to get rid of the last remaining yen I had. So I went to Vivre, and picked out a few small things. But I still couldn't find the perfect thing for Mayu, so I went back to hirakata eki. Truth was, that morning in Animate she had been looking for an anime CD, but it turns out they didn't have it in stock. So, I went to Tsutaya, the local book/CD/manga store, and even though they are NOT an anime store, they are a larger store so they have more things in stock. Turns out, they had this CD, so I spent the absolute last bit of my yen on it, such that I only had about 500 yen left. But I felt good knowing I had bought something that I was absolutely sure that she would like. Plus, it was a song from the show that we had watched together (Rozen Maiden), so it would also be an appropriate gift from me.
Then home to pack! I was a little scared that all the stuff I had bought would not fit into my two suitcases. But once I unwrapped things and threw out boxes, packages and bags, it managed to fit. It probably helped that I shipped out a small box full of things on Friday morning (which cost an arm and leg and they only accepted cash). But I managed to be packed by the evening, and then I vaccumed and dusted my room. Our last dinner was Okaasan's curry, which I like very much. Then I watched the last episode of anime that I would watch with Mayu, which happened to be an episode of Kamichama Karin. Okaasan also asked a few last minute questions about the cookbook that Mom had sent her, because it was in English. I tried my best, but I don't even understand myself about cooking even in English, so I couldn't explain things to her adequately. Then, off to bed, for a big day.
I got up at 4:45 AM, and brought my suitcases downstairs. Poor otousan tried to bring down my largest one, which was extremely heavy. Poor man is smaller than me, and there was no way he could have carried that thing. But they helped me carry them to the car. On the way to the drop -off point, the car passed through some of the narrowest roads I've ever seen, which is saying quite alot. There's one thing I won't miss about Japan, the narrow roads and dangerous traffic conditions. Then we reached the parking lot where the airport bus comes to pick you up. But, there was a problem: there were too many people already lined up! The ticket man said that there would be no more room for luggage in the undercarriage, so i would have to have it beside me inside the bus. I thought this was going to be impossible since my luggage was so big, but otousan and okaasan carried my luggage for me all the way to the back of the bus, which was a sight to see. My okaasan is a very petite woman, and to see her struggle even with the lighter of my two suitcases was pitiful. I wanted to help, but the aisle was too narrow and only one person could make it down. In the end, there was a compartment at the very end of the bus with one seat that had more room around it for luggage. So that's where it all went.
I bid a quick goodbye to otousan and okaasan and a quick handshake, but it was a hassled, hurried goodbye and not as I would have liked it to be. The stress of getting the luggage on the bus and making sure I would be ok was probably what made it that way. But they waved at me inside the bus and I waved at them as they left the parking lot. Goodbye!
I managed to stay awake until we hit the airport. Thankfully the bell boy came onto the bus and helped me get the luggage out, since i never would have been able to do it by myself. Then I immediately grabbed a baggage cart, and i was ok on my own. I found the Northwest check in point, but after 20 mins of waiting in line, I found out that they weren't checking in my flight yet, and I had to wait two hours! So I mangaged to find a place that I could sit out of the way with my huge baggage cart next to me. Turns out that the airport had free wireless, so i brought out my laptop and used that for a while to make the time pass faster.
Finally I was able to check in for my flight around 10. I go up there and the first thing the lady tells me is that my big bag is overweight. Overweight! I knew this might happen, since i felt that it was much heavier than when I came to Japan. I had to pay an extra charge for it, which was $25. Let's see, I had about 500 in yen, and $20 saved from my flight on the way to Japan. Not enough. How about....the credit card? Yes! Finally, the credit card i was given by my parents becomes useful. I wasn't able to use it in Japan to buy anything, or even to pay for shipping at the post office, but I was able to use it to pay for an overweight fee at the airport. Allright.
At that exact time I met up with Haley, who incidentally also had to pay an overweight fee, but she paid in yen because she had sooo much yen b/c of her scholarship. Now luggage-free, we found our gate then walked around. I tried to get rid of the last of my yen by buying some takoyaki (octopus balls) at the food stand, and then a few other things because they were also able to accept American dollars (but the change was in yen, which messed up my whole plan to get rid of all my yen!). So I ended up having about 50 yen left. Oh well, I mostly used it all up.
Plane ride itself was fine. I actually slept quite alot, and watched the movie Happy Feet. I was sitting next to a Taiwanese woman, since the plane originated in Taipei, Taiwan. I tried speaking Japanese to her at first, and she was like, "I'm sorry, I don't understand English" and I stopped trying after that. Haley moved into the empty seat next to me after a while, and I read the Newtype Romance she had.
Finally, we hit Detroit in America. Going through customs was a pain in the butt. It was such a change from the polite Japanese way, where they bow at you and request your cooperation very nicely. You hit America, and you have people yelling at you to have your passport out and to take off your shoes and laptops when you go through detectors. It was somewhat of a rude awakening. I missed Japan already at this point.
We picked up our luggage to get it through customs. I saw that my big bag had been opened, but nothing taken. Then I put it through inspection (it wasn't inspected at all), and then handed it off to some other officials. This was the last time I saw it (ooh foreshadowing).
So then we met up with Haley's mom by some weird coincidence, she was taking Haley's brother home from a national Odyssey of the Mind competition. So, Haley was already having a family reunion of sorts, as well as meeting up with many people from her hometown. I sat at the very back of the plane next to a stranger, and slept most of the way. Then, we were at the final stop: Portland, ME.
Haley's whole family, even grandparents, came to get her. Mom came to get me. Yay. Plus I was tired and in a bad mood and not wanting to come home. Then, guess what happened. That's right - my luggage never showed up. I was the last one waiting after the carousel stopped. I was sooo angry, and then when I went to see the lady, I found out that my bags had stopped in Detroit. They didnt' get on the plane to Maine with me. Why?? Why had Haley gotten her bags, and I didn't? We did everything in the exact same way, so i still have no idea what happened. Anyways, the lady said that as soon as they found the bags, they would ship them to my house. Grr...
So, I had no clothes and no presents for anybody as I went home. Mom asked Granny to bring over some of her clothes, as Mom's and Sara's wouldnt' fit me. They all came over that night and had dinner, and even though I was dead tired I stayed awake and talked. Then Sara comes in and immediately says, "Let's go see Pirates!"
In the end, I did go see Pirates of the Carribean 3, and got home around 1:30ish, and went to sleep at 2 AM ish, the longest Sunday of my life (about 34 hrs straight awake). Yikes.
Since then, I've been taking care of business that needs to be taken care of before i go to Colby. My luggage FINALLY got here late last night, so I've got some clothes to wear. I went and saw Spiderman 3 with my father last night as well. Recovering from jetlag pretty nicely I think, but I am still really tired. My computer is nice to come home to as well.
Well that's all for now, hopefully i will be posting more Japan-related entries as I continue to put up things that I never had time to write when I was there. I do miss Japan already, though, and do want to go back someday.
Until next time~
Don't forget to leave comments and tags, plz.
