Me, a Camera, and a Statue...

Erika and I hopped a Train to Akita on Tuesday to get out of our little hick town if only for a day. When we first got there we went to Starbucks, then pretty much spent six hours shopping and eating. Then on our way to meet Sarah at her apartment we stopped cause I wanted a picture of a statue, but we ened up taking at least 30 each just cause it was fun and made for a cool back drop. Then we stayed in bed until 12 the next day at Sarah's. Then we went for lunch to Mos Burger with Brian. They introduced me to the world of Mos Burger and I got to say it's not to bad! Then we headed home and rented the first few episodes of Prison Break, only to get hooked on it. The crazy part is there is only one copy of it in this town. So we are anxiously awaiting the return of number five so our marathon can go on... Here are a few pictures of Me and the Statue..

Finally......

Today I was just sitting upstairs talking to Bonita, when Arnie brought me an envelope for me that came in the mail. Just to let you know the only thing I could actually understand was my name. So I opened it.... It was my new bank card for my Japan account. Which is probably not as exciting as you were hoping. But you know all the papers you get in the same envelope when you first get a new bank card? Well, I finally had an excuse not to read them. But now I officially have a bank account in Japan, how many people in Calgary can say that?

On another note, but still about mail. I want to inform you about what I have gotten in the mail from my family and friends so far. To many people it might not be as exciting as it was for me. About three weeks after I arrived I got a card from Pa, Nan, Sara, 2-E, and Janet, which was great in it's self but lets not forget that it was a Starbucks card. Then a little after that I got a card from my sister which was great written in both English and Japanese just in case I couldn't read English. Just before Valentine's Day I got a parcel from Nan and Pa, only expecting things from them, I opened it to find TWO POUNDS OF STARBUCKS COFFEE sent to me from Cathy and my crew. Also, A little package from Mikayla with a few teddy bear which I may or may not sleep with and a card. Then from Nan and Pa I got another teddy which might have found his way to my bed as well and a book titled "The Gospel According To Starbucks". Life was great for me that day! Then just a few days ago I got a giraffe's sent in the mail, again how great can you get, Grandpa and Grandma sent me one of those foam mailing cards, I am probably one of the rare 19 year olds that would get a kick out of that, but I guess that's what makes me me!

EARTHQUAKE

How many of you can say you have been in an earthquake? I officially have. The evening started off as normal. Erika and I finished our classes and we decided to hang out and make bake apples, and with our reputation of cooking our apples were okay but a little soupy. We were just chanting away on my bed looking at some things on my computer. When all of a sudden it felt like the wall behind us was being shaken by a big over weight man... Then the whole building at that moment Erika and I exchanged a look of horror. we grasped onto each other just in time for it all to be over. We were still settling down when we turn from being scared to excited. Why did we get excited you might ask, well now we can not only say we have been in a earthquake but that we have been in a earthquake in Japan! Erika was going to head home right after her class but she was starving, so she stayed for a bit. We know God was the maker of this plan for Erika so she was not stuck on the bridge or alone when it happened. Thank you God!

My future chanting Neighbor!!!!!

So Erika keeps telling me stories about my future apartment, like how it smells when you walk into the door after a long walk out in the fresh air, like how you can never get the towels clean no matter what you do and you get out of a fresh shower only to dry off on a smelly towel, or how the water won't go down the drain so you try and use chopsticks to clean out the drain only to find long black things coming out, Erika calls that MOLD, also never getting your clothes to smell fresh because there is no dryer and well the ventilation is not that good, but best of all having a chanting neighbor and a group home moving in around her. I always laughed but really never believed it was true. Until today. We were walking to Erika's apartment, my future apartment, and I was coming over for a sleep over. We got to the apartment building and we were heading up the stairs to her place and this man starts walking down, wait you need an image. He was an older gentleman in about his 60's, fairly skinny, he was holding a plastic coffee cup with who knows what in it, his head was down only looking at the stairs, and best of all his mouth was open and now that I think about it I believe his tongue was hanging out as well. At first I really never thought much about this man and keep walking up the stairs, but when he got out of sight Erika turns to me and says "That's my Neighbor". I burst out laughing mostly because I really didn't believe it but also cause this is what I get to look forward to for a whole year in the near future. Erika and I jokingly say that the group home moved in around her while she was here but now World Missions is putting me in a group home...... Sometimes we wonder why God puts us places and what he has planned for us in certain situations and sometimes we have to learn just to trust him and go where he leads. Lets just say I am not quite trusting him yet in this situation and I know I should, so I am asking for your prayers to help me get through moving into a group home and dealing with a chanting neighbor....