random thoughts

The longer we live here, the more everything just seems like normal. I think that's why I haven't posted in a while. just same old same old stuff going on... but then every once in a while something will happen that makes me think, "oh yeah..I live in Japan!"

Like today. I am finally running out of all my products and stuff I brought with my from the US. Last week I ran out of lotion and after searching a few stores and finally talking to my Japanese visiting teacher, I realized they don't have lotion in Japan. They have skin milk. So today I used skin milk for the first time. It's very runny lotion that feels like your rubbing water on your skin. But with the humidity here, maybe that's all you need. I added lotion to my ever growing list of things to bring back with my this summer.

The good thing is my list of foods to bring back this summer is actually getting shorter as I learn more and more Japanese recipies. Friday, my neighbor Mika had us over for dinner. We cooked together. Actually, she cooked and I watched, but it was really fun! We had a chicken version of tonkatsu.

Last week we also had the missionaries over for dinner. Elders, sisters and an investigator. Most of the evening was in Japanese and Ryan would translate for me. It was a little interesting when I put out a veggie platter and dip and learned that in Japan they usually don't eat raw vegetables. I don't think the investigator had ever had a raw carrot before. I also felt bad afterwards when I was cleaning up and noticed some people did not eat any of the chocolate frosting from the cake we had for dessert. I had forgotten that although Japanese people like sweets, many do not like chocolate. Note to self: Do not make anything chocolate next time we have company. And this is our life in Japan!!