A Lovely Weekend, Indeed

Friday after class, I decided to join a few guys from the house (L to R: Kevin, Sean, and Bob) for drinks at A Bar--a sweet little establishment next to the tattoo parlor--where happy hour is from 5:00 to 7:00. We ended up staying until 8:00 or 8:30, but we ordered 2 beers (500mL)each just before happy hour ended, so that we could stay longer but not pay regular price for drinks. I had three 500mL Yebisu and one smaller Yebisu the Hop (see green labels above), and was quite content. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home (the bar food was good but insubstantial), and I called it an early night. After all, I had to get up early on Saturday for a field trip!

Yes, a field trip. All of the SKP students were given 3 options for a field trip: tea ceremony (been there, done that), Omron (Japanese tech company...not my thing), or the Disaster Center (can I get a hell yeah?).

As if going on a class field trip wasn't enough to make me feel 8 again, the disaster center is clearly meant for school children. The video we watched in the lobby starred a mother and her young son, learning about natural disasters and safety--and loving every second of it.

First up was a wind tunnel, simulating 32 meters per second typhoon winds. That's fast enough to make your hair and clothes whip around, and make breathing a little difficult if you don't lower your head, but I think I speak for the group when I say we wanted stronger winds. That would probably be too much for the age group this place targets, though.

Then we were put into a smoke-filled maze to show us what it might be like in a hotel fire. It was a lot harder to see than I thought it would be!

After learning how to use fire extinguishers came the moment we'd all been waiting for: the earthquake simulator, a room (meant to look like an eat-in kitchen) that can move and shake to let people feel what a 7.o magnitude earthquake feels like. Not only do you get to go in and feel the "earthquake," but you also get to watch the people inside. I'm not sure how useful it was in terms of earthquake preparedness (since we knew it was coming), but it was still pretty cool.

After all the excitement of the Disaster Center, I really wanted a nap. Instead, I went to campus for Rits Fest, a student festival that's been advertised around campus for over a month.

I can't believe all the things that were going on! Dozens of student groups running stalls selling food, drinks, knick-knacks, crafts, clothes; several music and dance groups; a WWE-style wrestling match; a photo exhibition, and more.

I was really impressed with the main stage. The set-up was really professional, and the band sounded great. We definitely do not have anything like this at Illinois College.

Rits Fest started winding down for the day as the sun started setting. Instead of doing the sane thing, and going home to rest, I decided to join some friends on a trip to Arashiyama. Apparently, for about 10 days every fall, some temples remain open at night for a "Light Up."

I think my pictures explain it better than I can. Even though many of them turred out blurrier than I would have liked, I think they capture the atmosphere much better than photos with flash would have. It was really beautiful, and definitely got me excited to see some more gardens in the near future. The hard part will be deciding where to go!