ouch
Well – school is in full swing and I can safely say that I’m in way over my head – there is a minimum of 3 hours of homework every night!?! Being that I can’t read 50% or more of the kanji right now it takes me longer most days…why is this language so damn complicated and why – even though I know I’ve improved eons do I sometimes feel worse about my Japanese than I did when I was shite a year ago!?!
The good think about school is I am starting to use my bicycle again “biiiicycle, biiiicycle!” yes – I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike. Unfortunately I took a bit of a spill today – maybe more like a drop as I wasn’t really moving – when I was starting off after a red light, stood to put all my weight on the foot in the pedal (with toe clips & straps) to pedal off when whoosh! My foot went crashing down (the rest of my body too – no, this isn’t a girly bike – ouch) and I was instantly flat out in the middle of the pedestrian crosswalk. And yes, there are lots of people around. No one bothered to see if I was okay and I quickly noticed the source of my predicament as my chain snapped in half and on the ground. I gathered myself and my bike parts as quickly as I could to hopefully find a bike shop and nurse my wounds soon after. Now – how does one find the nearest bike shop? I thought possibly I had passed one and not noticed it so decided to look all the way back home and when that proved fruitless, I pondered who might be the most knowledgeable about the area that I could ask. Anyone who has spent much time in Japan knows how far asking someone for directions to somewhere that you know exists in that area is – nevermind asking if something actually exists in the area. I decided a real estate agent was best and was in luck – they found one in a relatively short amount of time (you know 15 mins with 3 people flipping map books and phone books) – but I got it fixed and headed home.
Commuting on your bike in autumn is the best though. Especially when the kinmokusei (I have no idea what this is in English) are in bloom and their gorgeous scent fills the crisp air!
Headed to Tokyo this weekend to see a couple of friends who I saw off in the beginning of April and are both returning within a week of each other – one to visit and the other to wed! Congratulations David & Miki!! I’ll worry about when to do my homework later.
Until then, wish me luck on my Japanese driver’s license driving test I take on Thursday. I’m prepared for the seemingly mandatory first timer fail but trying to keep my hopes up!!
Oh – and does anyone other than Anouska and my lovely sister read this thing!?!