A Changed Life... er... Light

So, I've officially completed my first week of school, and I was very happy walking home from school to the train station on Friday. I feel like I learned a lot this week... with 20 hours of school and 10 more of studying on my own, I should hope I learned something.

Friday, after prayer, dinner together and band practice, we went to street performance that evening. It was a very, very good evening all together. We had about 20 people standing there at one time with people coming and going, and we made a lot of new great friends. Actually, I met a girl who goes to the university right by where I live, so we're going to for sure hang out. But, yeah, it was a really, really great evening and we hope to see quite a few of them again. (pictured above: Sally, Kengo, me and Debbie after Street Performance)

Saturday, we had Fuse and it was good... I had a really bad headache the whole time, so it was a bit of a struggle to really "be there"... but Yuiko and I had a great super-small group right after the message talking about "vision" for life with Yoshi and Kin-chan. Afterward we went bowling and I didn't bowl but watched those playing and stood around and talked with everyone else. I wasn't feeling that great, and I've had a cough all this week, and every time I coughed, it felt like my head was going to explode. We had a good time though, I just wish I could have felt better to enjoy it more. (Here with Kin-chan... we were working on having a conversation between what little English and Japanese we both knew... :) It was good!)

One nice thing was that, on the way home, most of us went together on the train. I had the bass which is a bit heavy, but not too bad, since it's on your back. But Yoshi offered to carry it for me, and I let him. That was very kind, and I really appreciated it. I was just so tired from such a long week, and having a massive headache, it was so nice that he carried it for me.

This week also, Kengo helped me out. He's teaching me everyday Japanese that you need at the store or other places like that, which is pretty practical. Also, phrases for if I get lost, etc. But anyway, I had a question for him because Monday night, my light in my room started to go out while I was working on my homework. It's one of those round florescent ones, and there are two of them. I had no idea where to get another one. So I asked him where to buy it, and so he came and helped get my light bulbs out, took me to the store, showed me where they were and then came back to put them in the thing.

Wow! I was very thankful... because he helped me out Thursday, but since Monday night, I'd been without light, because I hadn't had time to go get a new one, and I also didn't know where to even get one. While at the store, we came to the aisle that they were in and the first price I saw was about $30-$35 for a light. I gasped and was like, oh my gosh! They're so expensive! He goes, yeah, whatcha gonna do?

There's a phrase in Japanese "shoganai", or at least, I think that's how it's spelled. But, it's kinda like, "well, there's nothing that can be done about it. Too bad." Anyway, Kengo always says "whatcha gonna do?" because the girls taught him that as the translation to shoganai. So, it made me laugh at the store, because it was like, yeah, prices are high. Nothing you can do about it. Eventually, I paid about $17ish for it, I think.

I was telling the story on Friday night on the train, because I wanted to make a bit of a big deal out of it, because it really was very nice. So, I was standing next to Mark, and I said to him, "So, Kengo changed my light last night!" Kengo, who was standing next to me, said, "I changed your life?"

And that, my friends, is going in my top quotes. Yes, Kengo, you changed my life. I can now see the light.

Anyway, I'm very thankful for these Japanese friends who are so great and helpful. I'm enjoying getting to know more of them. (Here with Fabiana, who was the bowling champ of the evening, I believe)

So, it's time now for your Japanese lesson of the day. One of the things that we've been working on this week is adjectives. There are two different types of adjectives, but I'm only going to do one kind, though in all the "conjugations"...

きょう は あたたかいです。

Kyoo wa atatakai desu.

Today, it's warm.

きょう　は　あたたかくない　です。

Kyoo wa atatakakunai desu.

Today, it's not warm.

きのうは　あたたかかった　です。

Kinoo wa atatakakatta desu.
Yesterday was warm.

And here comes the big one that I've been working on all weekend:

きのう　は　あたたかくなかった　です。

Kinoo wa atatakakunakatta desu.

Yesterday was not warm.

My response to that is that-- yesterday it was cold. That's much easier.

Anyway, speaking of Japanese, I need to study, and then I think I'll go to the Noborito service this evening and then come back and get a good night's sleep to start another long week! :)

See ya'll soon!