柿大好き！

Hello Everyone! Welcome to week five of our Japanese adventure. That's right we have been gone for over a month already. Miss us yet? :P So here is what has been going on lately... we have gotten set into a nice routine and are adjusting well to the classes. I have to be honest that they are still pretty difficult especially the second Japanese language class and the Japanese culture class. We got our first care package from John and Colette (<3 Thank You!!). I must say we are loving the nuts and jerky from Trader Joe's. There is one thing that I have come to love in Japan and that is the kaki. [Note the title of this post 柿= Japanese persimmon　大好き=love] I am fairly certain that I had never had a persimmon in my life before coming here and wow are they delicious! They are a Japanese late summer/fall fruit and they are everywhere right now. speaking of fall, I am seriously longing for some pumpkin pie, apples and cinnamon. The reality that we are not going to be home for the cozy holiday season with all its tasty food and warm company is a bit saddening to say the least. However, we have found a very welcoming and warm group of people that we spend Sunday with: the awesome folks at ヨハンキリスト教会(Yohan Christian Church).

First a brief summary of the church's organization and set up...This church is part of a large network of small Christian churches throughout Japan. This particular branch is located in Gojo (an area in downtown Kyoto) and about a one hour commute from Kameoka. The building is a small 5 story apartment-like place each floor has one large sized room or two smaller ones. The first floor is the sanctuary room, the second is the dining/meeting area, the third is half kitchen and half male living area, the fourth is female living area and honestly I have never been to the fifth floor so I don't know whats up there but probably more living space. It is a bit hard to imagine so I'll see if I can take a video and upload it here sometime.
It is headed by a lovely female minister Noh-Sensei who is a native of Korea. The staff there is a mix of Japanese and Korean people so the church conducts a morning service in Japanese and an early afternoon one in Korean (both services hold the same content and are given by Noh-Sensei who is fluent in both). The average attendance is about 35-50 people each service (some people stay for both). After service they prepare a meal and feed everyone while catching up about the week and welcoming new visitors. Post meal Bible study time is next. Basically we break up into small groups and read a passage together and talk about the meaning God is speaking to our hearts. This part is especially difficult to do in Japanese when its a more complicated passage... After that, the Japanese staff helps prepare for the Korean service (cooking, setting up, ect. as the Korean staff did before and during the Japanese service). Many people spend all day there and a lot of the week too! It is an entirely different experience than the larger organized churches we are used to in America. They are a strong bunch dedicated to spreading the Word and conveying the love of God to a people who know little of him. Truly I am blessed to know them.

Ryan and I have taken to spending most of our day there too. We attend service at 10AM and after stay for food and study time (until about 1:30ish). Then we usually go out to the nearby shopping area and walk around. At about 3:30 (after the Korean service ends) we return to do an English conversation table for the Japanese and Koreans who know some English and wish to improve their language ability. We end up leaving at about 5pm or so each time. Its a long day but nothing is more fulfilling. This small church family has truly taken us in and made us feel loved. Just goes to show you that God's family is everywhere in the world and wherever you are you can be apart of it too.

So we power through the hardships of the week, classes and studying looking forward to spending our Sundays at church. Mallory Out. (^.^)v

Okay, so...

I apologize for my truancy here, but I've never really been the type of person to journal regularly-- it's just not a habit I've built up. Anyway, Japan so far has been a total blast. I just can't quite describe how blessed the two of us are to be here and be so well taken care of. We've made so many new friends lately, and it has been great getting to know them and spending time with them all. It's also been a blast exploring Japan (specifically the Kyoto area) and seeing what sights it has to offer.

As Fall rolls around though, I'm really beginning to miss home, its tastes and smells, and our families. I miss the fresh garden harvest, the sight of pumpkins, and apple cider. I miss chili and Mexican food too. But in any case, I'm hoping to make the most of Kyoto's Autumn season, which is supposed to be basically the most beautiful time of year here. Until I can come back though, I'm eagerly awaiting a supply drop of some of our favorite South African spice, maybe some pumpkin candles, and dried pepper flake from the garden.

In other news though, last night was a ton of fun. We got six of our friends together and had a party in our room where Mallory made us some Thai curry with rice and veggies, then we snacked a bit and watched Inception. Pretty much every group we've hung out with has had great chemistry due to personality overflow from a certain person who shall remain unnamed. Definitely looking forward to hosting more get-togethers here in our spacious apartment.

Until next time, take care everybody! For now there's some Japanese homework calling my name...

Whirlwind

So since I last left you all it has been about a week! Time sure flies just as fast here as back home, if not faster. Last Thursday we went to Uji (famous for tea) and had many macha (concentrated green tea powder stuff) infused foods/drinks/treats. Of course we bought some to bring home too. While there, we also saw the Byoudoin (a famous Buddhist temple). The grounds and museum were beautiful but unfortunately the main building itself is under restoration and therefore covered in scaffolding. We were able to meet up with our friend Mitch (a recent NCC grad) who is doing the JET program in Uji. We ended the night with some delicious okonomiyaki which is essentially like a savory pancake thing... All this new food is quite delicious but most certainly bad for you! I was thinking that the food would be overall healthier but I am pretty certain it is just that the portion sizes are smaller and the people move around alot! On the average day Ryan and I walk about 8,000-10,000 steps. Another side comment about food, fruit is crazy expensive! I miss eating grapes and apples all the time :(. On the upside, fish is pretty cheap and super fresh of course so i suppose its give and take.
Friday, we went out with our friends to Kawaramachi again (we seem to be frequenting this place) for more food and fun!
Sunday we went to a Japanese Christian Church in the Gojo area of Kyoto with Seung-kyu. I have to say I did not understand much, but what I managed to pick up on was inspiring and whether you speak the language or not it was clear these people were full of love and light. We made some new friends there (from Korea) and one of them even brought us to the nearby famous temple Kyoumizudera! There were tons of people there and it would have been nice to take more time to enjoy it, but I am told there is really no good time to visit that place as it is always full of people.
And then Monday came around... lets just say that I completely understand why the Japanese go out all the time on the weekends. The first full week of classes was very hard to understand and we did not even discuss much more than introductions and the syllabus. Each day I felt a little more defeated. Sometimes I wonder how I am possibly going to do this but I suppose doing my best is all I can do. Lets just hope my professors will give A's for effort... (or at least passing grades). Everyone seems to tell me that the professors don't expect us to be fluent or anything and that in the end if we attend and show effort there will be no problems. However its still hard not to be able to be as good a student as you know you could be if you were at home.
Writing this and looking back on the heaps of fun we have going to new places and hanging out with friends its worth the trouble. Time to get ready for class again! Later.
がんばってねえ～！

Fun, Fun, Fun Till the Rain Comes and Takes it Away..

On to the fun stuff! The other day we went out with our friends Kouki and Seung-kyu and went to Arashiyama, a beautiful place with lots of interesting historical sites. We visited some shrines, the bamboo forest, and saw the famous dragon painting in the hall of Tenryuji temple. Later, our friends Takashi and Pura joined us in Kawaramachi, a well known Kyoto shopping district, where we shopped and went to the famous Nishiki market. Finally we ended the night with dinner at a yakitori restaurant. It was our first experience of Japanese social culture in regards to dinner with friends and it was lots of fun and a good time was had by all.
     After all that I was basically exhausted the whole next day. I didn't really think that anything we are doing is particularly strenuous, but somehow I managed to nap yesterday for 5 hours and sleep another 6. I guess it takes far more effort for my brain to continuously process Japanese, let alone all that walking! We did manage to go out yo a bookstore and a DVD rental shop. I bought the first part of the Hunger Games in Japanese we'll see if I can manage to get through it in six months. At the video store (which really rents all media including manga) we borrowed some manga and a movie, in the name of studying of course ;-). I would tell you how the movie was but I ended up sleeping through pretty much all of it.
     Today was pretty good. It rained basically all day so we couldn't really go out anywhere fun, but we did have a Japanese warm up class for about five hours. Ryan and I were put in the more advanced class I guess and the other 16 or so students in it were from China. Needless to say their kanji knowledge is superior. But it was OK, we will see what the real classes are like Friday! With the free time today I managed to cook some soup for us and make a beef vegetable dish for later in the week. I have to say I REALLY miss having a counter top, full size kitchen and a sink my height :P! Well that's all for now folks! <3

Off to a Great Start

おはよう皆。Everything is going so well here I have to say that we would be completely lost without the help of our friends namely Pura, Kouki, and Takashi! Everyone has been so kind to us and we are very grateful. It is clear that God is watching out for us and placed these wonderful friends in our path! We have made great friends with the other international students too. Ryan and I are the only weaterners that I know of, but the others have come from Taiwan, Korea, and Mongolia. Yesterday we got our bank accounts, scholarship money, and cell phones. I also had 回転寿司, (Kaitenzushi) that's rotating Sushi by the way,for the first time thanks to our advisor Okamoto-san and our friend Kouki for treating us! Later Ryan and I went to the supermarket Seiyu by ourselves and got some food. Each day is filled with so many great people and experiences! Well I'd better get ready for orientation today! じゃあまった！
~Mallory

日本にいます♪

Yes we are in Japan! Everything is great so far we didn't have much trouble adjusting   our first night.This is my apartment, Ryan's looks exactly the same. The town (Kameoka) is lonely and very convenient. There are several places for food and supplies, including a Wal-mart like market called Seiyu. Hopefully today we will get more acclimated to the area! Time for to get ready for our first full day! じゃあまった. (See you later) ~ Mallory

Crunch Time

Things are definitely speeding up now that we are close to our departure date! (Sept 11th) Its hard to believe that in a few days I will be so far away from my family and friends for the first time. I will surely miss my  late night discussions with my mom and watching the Wheel and Shark Tank with Colette, not to mention Daddy's hugs and John's humor. I ought to finish packing and squeezing in a few last precious moments with my friends and family.