September 8-23
New Word/Phrase I Learned:
Guruguru – an onomatopoeia for a stomach rumbling to indicate you’re hungry.
Something Surprising/Interesting:
Japanese schoolkids are quite similar to ours in terms of how they act. However, something different was that many of the kids wear facemasks to hide their faces if they’re really shy.
Something I tried:
I ate an entire melon/cantaloupe myself (they are quite famous in Hokkaido) and it was absolutely delicious! Even if they are slightly expensive, they are so juicy and sweet.
As a group, we went out on a day trip to Jozankei and Boyo Nakayama. I tried my first Onsen and also driving on the other side of the road! Shout out to Ziv for being our main driver so I could dip my toes into driving in Japan with no real responsibility.
Highlights:
Other than our group day trip, I also took a solo day trip to the Furuyama area where I got to see flower fields, farms, Blue Pond, Shirogane Falls, Mt. Tokachi, and Farm Tomita. What an amazing day!
PS I saw the Shimaenaga (snow fairy or long-tailed tit) finally!!
Challenge I Faced & How I Handled It:
I’ve been struggling with homesickness lately. I miss my home and my friends and family back home. I’ve been sure to chat with my Canadian crew out here and have been making time to video call my family, even though it is quite tricky with the time difference. We’re about halfway through our time here, so I will keep busy and try to enjoy as much of Japan as possible since I know I’ll be home sooner than I realize.
Piece of advice:
Push yourself out of your comfort zone and try new crazy things!
Something I’m looking forward to:
I’m very nervous to be splitting off and heading to Kushiro. While I’m there I want to hike and get more time with nature, so I am looking forward to that. Plus, I have a friend from Canada who is coming to visit me in Kushiro! That’ll definitely make me less homesick 🙂
Goal/Desire:
I want to see the red-headed Japanese cranes in Kushiro, so here’s to hoping I can see some in the parks or on my hikes!