travelin on

so i am still chillin in chicago. i leave for ohio tonight. i am procrastinating getting ready for the day. tonight ill stay at chuck and jessie's place then i get to leave for athens tomorrow with cara bright and early.

i feel like making a list, so i will make the top 10 list of favorite memories from the past month

1. seeing all my japanese friends in japan-and meeting their families
2. only spendign $300 for 3 weeks in japan
3. getting to eat many random things-gaining 5 lbs in japan
4. kareoke and purikura (i dont knwo how to spell it...sticker pictures with friends)
5. Seeing God remind me in many ways that He is always with me.
6. spending time with my mom, brother, grandma, and grandpa and the disfuntion within.
7.seeing chucks new apartment
8. getting my visa
9. meeting a new friend in chicago and exploring the town with her
10. spending time with kathy in her cute apt. and watching movies together all day.

these are in now order and i could actually make a list of 100 favorite memories but today ill just keep with a select 10.

here's another list. top 5 random foods i ate in japan:

1. octopus- cooked and raw
2. salmon eggs
3. raw fish and other treats from the sea
4. sea weed...actually seaweed jello to be exact
5. this clear jellowy vegetable that goes with salad...i dont know..

the moral of the story... dont ask what it is till after you've eaten it.

chicago

I made it to chicago for a few days (sun - tues) i got in really early sunday morning and good old kathy and sarah came to the airport to get me. a big thanks to them. then we (sarah, chad, kathy and i) hung out at kathys apartment, took a walk, went tot he grocery store, ate lunch, hung out, and then kathy and i went to get her computer, came back and we watched 3 movies! YES thats right 3. breakfast club, 16 candles and 2 weeks noticce. however i fell asleep towards the end of the last movie. then we went to bed. we were tired girls! this mornign i woke up at 6. got ready, left for the french consulate to get my visa.

i made it all the way there with no probs. waited in line, realized i forgot to make a copy of something. went and made a copy, came back, got the visa, made a friend named hilary. we spend the whole day (well 4 or 5 hours) walking around chicago and just seeing things. we were real tired. then she had to leave so i came back as well. so now its 4:40 and i am contemplating a nap before i cook dinner for kathy.

tomorrow i will continue exploring this great town and then head off tot he airport. then my traveling days are over... for 20 days... wow.

off to nap.

I love JAPAN

So i am back in the US for a few weeks. I got back on monday to florida to stay with my mom for a few days. Japan was wonderful. i loved every second of being there. i stayed with 15 different people and i had a great time. i went to the world expo 2 times and i saw castles i went to museums i shopped-window shopped i should say-i saw lots of japan. i also ate. and ate and ate and gained 5 lbs. who gains wait in japan? thats right- me hahaha. i ate so many strange things. well strange for americans, not for them. i ate octopus, raw fish galore and many other things. i fell in love with melon pan and konpeito. i had a great time seeing my friends, some of which i havent seen for like 2 years! i kareoked my butt off hahaha.

i was sad to return to the US- i wasnt ready to leave yet. but i want to go back next summer and i think i will for 3 months -Lord willing- but now i need to focus on the upcoming voyage. i leave florida tomorrow then i am off to chicago to get my visa. then france here i come. I am increasingly getting excited and checked out 5 books from the library abouit moving to france and ive read 3 of them in 1 day. i have also been super productive getting other things done that need to be done.

last night i saw Mr and Mrs Smith with my moms friend while my mom was at class. it was a cute movie, i liked it. then tonight i am hanging out with my mom and her friends before i head out tomorrow.

this week flew by.. and for the record i did not get jet lag to nor from japan. i love it. 13 hour difference and didnt really feel it. i think the trick is arriving at night and being able to go to bed -rather than getting somewhere in the morning and having to go through the whole day. thats just my idea.

well i dont even think anyone reads this so who cares what i write.