Tales of a no longer almost illegal alien

Wednesday's have quite possibly become my favorite day of the week outside of the weekends...I get done with classes at noon and I have E.S.S., who are quickly becoming my favorite group of people.:) This past Wednesday, Tony and I rounded up my tutor Ayaka and Miki to help me get my VISA and Alien Registration card, because that's really not something you really want to screw up due to an error in communication ><...and those people speak NO English

Getting my VISA actually took a lot less time than we thought it would, and between Immigration and Town Hall, we were done in about two and a half hours. I legitimately did a happy dance in the street once I was finally a legal resident. They actually messed up my VISA to let me stay for a year, but when I pointed this out to them, they said it didn't matter...soooo I'm rolling with that until someone tells me otherwise.

After that we took some Purikura with the four of us and Madoka, a class mate we randomly met at the Purikura place, before Ayaka had to go back to class. Miki then took me to go get a cell phone, but on the way there, Ayaka ran up to us (which was a surprise in of itself because she was suppose to have been long gone for class), looking like she was about to burst into tears telling us something about our bikes being stolen. O_O

They actually weren't stolen, she just didn't know the right word, which I can't say as I blame her because I don't know many Japanese who know the word for "Impounded". Apparently we weren't allowed to park near the station?

Ayaka felt really bad and I had to tell her a million times to stop crying, it would be all right and to think of it as an adventure :D...I think she still felt really guilty since it took her two days to stop apologizing and she insists on sometime cooking dinner for me. It wasn't that expensive to free our bikes, so I don't care too much. I'm just glad they weren't actually stolen! And hey, I have one heck of a story to tell now!

After Ayaka went to class and Tony went to Crew, Miki did help me get a cell phone! So I am now connected to the world! Hehe my provider is Softbank and I'm loving it! If you ever want to contact me in a jiffy, my e-mail is Caitlyn.Marie.Smith@softbank.ne.jp...and it will get sent right to my phone! So excited to finally have one and it makes getting around and communicating with people SO much easier!!!


After that I rushed back to school in time for the end of E.S.S. and we (of course) went to Taiko, the favorite Ramen shop of the group. I also joined UNESCO on Thursday, which seems to be a lively and fairly active group of exchange students and Japanese students mixed in with some community service and a lot of fun activities. I think I'll be pretty busy and have a lot of fun with them :) We have a camp in June and in the same we're putting on a World Sweet's Day for a local elementary school. They picked my theme for the day too! "A 'sweet' tour of the world!" hehehe!

Friday was one of my busiest days for classes, but after school I went to E.S.S. (and we went to Taiko after wards...again...Its really yummy...but honestly, no freaking clue how the Japanese eat that much. I think they secretly have black holes as stomachs. I told my one friend Kazu this, and I don't think the Japanese understand sarcasm very well...because I think he was shy and didn't finish eating everything after I said that ><) Oh yes! And I got invited to a Nomikai after the club meeting next week! Score!

Saturday was quite possibly the best day ever since coming to Mito. I slept in, watched a really sad, but really touching drama and then my friend/partner from the structure of the Japanese language came over to do some homework before Yuuki (my partner), Tony, Marina and I left for the day. First we went to Amusement Pink Panther to do Purikura, which was awesome, and then we went shopping in the plaza it was located in and I bought myself a cute Japanese shirt as a present because four weeks ago, it wouldn't have fit me. I can't wear any pants with out a belt now, and some of them I pull to the last notch and I STILL have room to spare. :D

Yuuki then drove us (yes she has a car...and a quite spacious one at that) to do Karaoke which was a blast. I got to sing the Ponyo song, brought the House down with "We are family", rocked out to Green Day, Sang with everyone to Back Street Boys and Nailed Stacie Orico with Yuuki. It was soooooo much fun! Karaoke in Japan is a national past time and they go ALL out. The building was a multi-story building with all these private sound proof booths, a TV to display the lyrics, several little monitors to select your line up of songs, a phone to order drinks, food and have them call you with your ten minute warning, and you also get two microphones to do duets. It was so much fun, and I can't wait to do it again!!! Yuuki and I are going to push for E.S.S. people to go do it after the Nomikai. I wonder if Yasu will be down for that? I know he really wants to do a duet of "We Are the World" haha:D

Here are some videos!




We went to Ten for some Yummy yummy Okonomiyaki, and then rounded out the night with Finding Neverland and Ice Cream at Marina's place. Such a good week! :D

See you laaaaaater!