I didn't mean for this to happen...

A month or two ago I wrote about not wanting to get so settled and comfortable here that I forget what an amazing thing it is.

It seems it just couldn't be helped.

I haven't forgotten how extraordinary a semester abroad is. But the thing is, Kyoto is my new normal. So I don't take as many pictures as I should, and I don't write about my experiences enough--because to me, where I buy groceries and what I do at school are pretty uninteresting. In fact, I feel a little ridiculous sometimes, taking pictures in such a "tourist-y" manner. Maybe it's because, when I'm out and about in the city, tourists are easy to spot. It's easy to tell which foreigners are here on vacation and who's in it for the long haul. Tourists gawk at everything and keep their cameras close at hand. They get lost often and can't believe how different this place is. That was me, when I first came to Kyoto. Today I'm more likely to give directions than to ask for them. And while it may be a bit strange, there's a certain pride in moving to a strange city and NOT being (or feeling like) a tourist.

I will try to swallow that pride and become a tourist while I'm on break from school, but I can't make any promises.

60+ degrees in December

That's right. Today, the high in Kyoto was somewhere in the low-to-mid 60s. While people back home are making snowmen and shoveling sidewalks, I spent the afternoon riding my bike and shopping.

Not only did I opt out of wearing a coat, I also decided not to take my usual shortcut through the middle of town. I took a new route, cutting east across the northern part of Kyoto (passing the Imperial Palace, among other places of interest), and then following the Kamo south.

Shopping wasn't very successful, but I enjoyed poking around in numerous souvenir shops. I'll have to return to a few of them once I finally decide what I'm bringing back for everyone.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from my afternoon.

It may be a bit hard to see, but this is the Daimonji, one of five sites of massive bonfires throughout the city for a festival in August. I wonder how big a bribe it would take to get at least one of the fires lit for New Year's...

Apparently, you can cross the Kamo on stepping stones if a more traditional bridge isn't your thing. There were a lot of people enjoying the weather by the river today.

I was trying not to be rude, so this picture is a little hard to see as well. This little waterway runs parallel to Kiyamachi, home of Sam & Dave. I noticed that the water was full of muck but didn't think much of it. However, this dirty water seems to be unacceptable to the Japanese. Dozens of people were in the water, scooping out fallen leaves and stray litter. Many were wearing jeans and matching red t-shirts, but there were also a fair number of guys in suits. Nice suits. With rubber boots. I wish I could explain...but that would probably take all the fun out of it.

Tick tock...

This morning, all of the students leaving Rits at the end of the semester had a meeting with the lovely folks from the International Center about all the things we must be sure to do before we get on the plane home.

Which, by the way, for me is in less than a month and a half.

How did that happen?!

Giving Thanks.

I'm used to being home for Thanksgiving. I generally spend the day lazing about, offering to help but trying to stay out of the way as much as possible.

This year, on Thanksgiving, I went to class. Right around the time I would normally be sitting down to a massive home-cooked feast with my family, I was sitting in class, working on my Japanese speaking and listening skills. This was seriously depressing.

Luckily, a couple of the other American students (and one Canadian) in my dorm had planned a Thanksgiving party for that night. Earlier in the week they journeyed to the nearest CostCo (which isn't near at all...over an hour by train, I believe?) to buy food in bulk for the holiday, and they were cooking and baking up a storm when I came home. As I made mac & cheese for our welcome potluck, I was recruited to make it again, only a much larger amount.

Turkey is hard to come by in Japan, so we had rotisserie chicken instead. We also had mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, corn on the cob, dinner rolls, salad, an assortment of Japanese food (including yakisoba made by the new house managers), and a variety of beverages. (I'm sure there were other kinds of food, but sadly I'm a bit late on posting about this and have forgotten.)

We invited a bunch of students living in apartments or other dorms, as well as the two Americans working in the Rits International Center. The turnout was great, and most of the people there had never experienced Thanksgiving before.

I definitely missed having turkey and stuffing with my family, but I'm so thankful for my time here in Kyoto that it was hard to stay homesick for long. Having Thanksgiving with people I've only known for a few months, 6000 miles from home, with chopsticks was much more comforting than I ever could have imagined.