I got to Ritsumeikan around 8:40ish, and it felt aweful knowing that next Monday I will be waking up in a hostel with 3 other strangers in a room and will not be going to school. You could feel it in the air that everyone was weary. 

During class I received my final exam score...and let's just say that I started crying in the middle of class (connect the dots). By the second hour we were allowed to continue working on our skit and we got it down to 6 minutes. Go us! 

Class came and went, but this time I was not excited that it was noon, I dreaded the ticking clock.

I remembered to document my lunch. Chicken, rice, melon pan, and apple juice. 

Unfortunately, Maho had a train to catch, because she lives in Osaka. We had to say our final goodbye and it was aweful (but I did not cry! Close though).

Mitch, Franz and I went to the accommodations in Horikawa where we joined the other Floridians in a little potluck they had going on. While there it hit me that that moment was going to be the last moment we were all going to hang out as close friends, because once we are back in FIU we all continue living our own separate lives. And Mitch would be returning back home to Oklahoma.



Right now, I feel so depressed that I don't care that I will be going to Disney Sea tomorrow...I don't care that on sunday I will be marking the Ghibli Museum off my bucket list. I could care less about Tokyo, my homesickness nor anything. All I want to live in an endless loop where I will continue living in Kyoto and exploring the everything this place has to offer. And feel selfish, because I know I will come back next year to complete my minor in Japan, but I currently feel like a piece has me has been ripped out and buried deep inside a temple I have yet explored.

Don't take me wrong I want to see my family, my friends, and my bed. I miss them all, but right now it doesn't feel like it does not matter. I love the people at home, but when I return I will fall into a routine again, of just simply living life.

Coming to Kyoto has made me realized how little I have actually lived. Because the world is still beautiful and I have only seen a spec of it.

I received my exam today during the first hour of class, my heart raced in my chest. I thought I was going to get sick, but...I passed. I got 17/21, 80.95, a B-  it is not the best grade in the world but it was so much better than I thought I'd get. All the anxiety that held me quickly washed away. The highest grade in the class was a 18/21, I got the second highest. So there is that. 

Class came and went, and even with the grammar that has accumulated in my mind...I still sound like a 2 year old talking. ( or at least I think I do ). 

This morning on my way to the bus stop I realized that I forgot to pack my bento (my bag felt lighter than usual), by the time I realized this I was already at the bus stop and the bus was going to arrive in two minutes exactly (Japanese buses are very punctual). My forgotten bento led me to buying lunch in the cafeteria for the first time...ever...in Ritsumeikan (but I know I will be a frequent visitor when I spend the semester in Japan). I honestly did not know what I got, I just asked for what looked good. I got a chicken steak thing, rice, miso soup, milk pudding, tea, and a fried potato thing that turned out to be a sweet (whoops). I spent ¥678, about $4-5. For all the food I got it was a pretty good deal, and for the first time ever I was actually satisfied after my meal at school. It was such a weird sensation. 

I had Komura's class today, and it made me very sad because so many of my friends from the program were doing a bunch of stuff right after lunch...and I was stuck in class. Thankfully sensei bring us snacks for us to try and it is really exciting. Today's theme was chocolate:

Then class dragged on till it was finally over and done with. When the FIU class ended it immediately started raining. (Who decided against brining and umbrella?). I used my cardigan (a knitted cardigan) as an umbrella...I still got wet. Thankfully, I was able to climb on the first bus that headed to the accommodations in Horikawa. But it was still pouring by the time the bus got to my stop, and as I tried to get off the bus closed its door and I had to wait till the next stop to hurry to the accommodations, so now I had to speed walk a father distance. Thank heavens it was super heavy rain, I only got slightly wet. I had to change my socks and shoes though.

Around 6:20ish PM, I met up with Mitch and Megan. We went out to eat dinner at a little hole in the wall restaurant I pass every time I go up Sanjo-dori. We entered to our surprise it was a small family owned restaurant, run by an old Japanese man...who only spoke very very little English. His face of panic was so funny, three foreigners entered his restaurant. He was really sweet for the most part and we were able to communicate efficiently to order food.  Not only did he serve us, but he also cooked and did the dishes, he was a very efficient man. Megan had already eaten so she did not get anything. So Mitch and I did all the eating, and he also treated me to dinner (because he felt bad that he got so lost that I ate dinner by myself last night, and when he found his way I cooked him pasta). Mitch and I figured out what we ordered when the plate arrived to us. Most of the ordering consisted of pointing and then the old Japanese man brining us food we did not exactly order. We had fried fish ( or at least we thing) and a fried fish head. Sweet pickled plums and bamboo shoots with what we think was scallops and Japanese mushrooms.







Once we finished eating, the three of us headed to Teramachi (the mall place I always end up in) and there we walked around for a bit. Something I really do not like about Japan is how early everything closes, even on a Friday. We were in the mall at 8ish and more than half of the stores were already closed. Very few places were open. Mitch took us to an arcade where I had a go at DDR and weird Japanese game (I lost at both). It was still very fun though. I really enjoy hanging out with Mitch, he is really fun to be with and he is also very calm and chill. After we played the two games we walked back down Sanjo-dori and took our separate ways home.

It was raining today, a wet Kyoto is not very fun especially since I walk pretty much everywhere. Thankfully it was just wet and not sticky. I would have died if it were sticky. ( My hair already suffered from the wet ). I also found out that the umbrella I bought my first day it Kyoto is not as wide as I thought it'd be...so I got a bit wet. 

Class today made a lot more sense than the ones prior. ( Yay ) I have a quiz tomorrow and there is a whole chapter still don't quite understand. And not to mention a whole bunch of new kanji I need to know by tomorrow...( someone save me!)

For lunch I had meat, rice and red bell peppers! And I actually remembered to take a picture today. During lunch time I tried to get in contact with my parents cause it felt really weird not seeing them. Not being blue to see them and the raining weather really had me in the slumps for a bit. It was very noticeable, because the buddies and Elaine kept asking me if I was okay. (I brushed it off saying that the quiz had me a bit frazzled )

Once lunch was over with Hikaru and Maho led us to the building where we were going to have our excursion! A Maiko and Geiko came to perform for us and play some games! It was really fun and they were both so pretty! Especially the Geiko. Also during the games, if you beat the Maiko or Geiko they would reward you with a sticker with their name on it. (I didn't get one, the Geiko beat me)

When the excursion ended Hikaru and Maho too us to Kareoke again. The people that tagged along were a bunch of the FIU students, including Franz.  I didn't think I was going to enjoy Kareoke with 11 people but it was actually pretty fun and entertaining. But I feel like smaller groups are better since you get to sing a lot more songs and goof around a bit more without being completely judged. 

For dinner I wanted to eat sushi (because I have yet to eat sushi!) but everyone wanted to go a place called Moss Burgers which is like the Japanese version of McDonalds. They all made it sound like a really big deal, really important and really delicious...it wasn't. It was the most disappointing burger ever. It was small, messy and meh. I had a chicken teriyaki burger and it barely had any chicken. ( what else would you expect from a fast food chain)

When bellies were full we all returned to the accomdations where I began studying till I got a really bad and weird pain around my eyes. Moving up a class has been really stressful and this quiz has me on edge...if I get anything lower than a B I might actually cry. (I've actually cried over C's before). Tomorrow I have my Japanese quiz and Komura-sensei's class. It is going to be so long!