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Friday August 1, 8:40pm.
Before I update about today let me write about yesterday.

Thursday, July 31.
Well everyone was quite sad this morning, since we woke up at 6am we had a little bit of time before people left, the leaders in the lodge made a list of who was leaving when, I was leaving at 8:40am, but that wasn’t the earliest time, some people left at 7:30am. The other American (Courtney) wasn’t going to leave until 9:35. I got a lot more people to sign messages for me, and the LABO tutors that were in the lodge with me also wrote a message, both in English and Japanese! …and had good spelling. When it came time for me to leave, I gave everybody that was still there a hug, and said bye. I was told that C.C. would be on the same bus with me on the way home. Before I left Rieko and I ran to her lodge so I could get a picture with her. But when our bus left C.C. wasn’t on it. I figured out that she was on bus three, not four (which we were on). I got Riko to come to the back and play a game with us on the way home; it’s a hand game and a song. I learned the song at camp, but it’s not Japanese (Courtney taught it in our lodge). When we stopped for lunch, (around 12:30), it was not raining outside so instead of eating inside the bus we ate outside. I only ate half of my lunch since the other half I didn’t like. When we finally got back to where the bus dropped us off (near home, mother was waiting for us), but instead of going home right away we stayed and talked. I even taught the game I played on the way home in the bus to Rieko’s LABO tutor. She wanted me to write it down but I didn’t know how to spell it! But Rieko does know the song so hopefully she can teach some LABO kids. I took the LABO tutor’s hat right before I left, and asked if I could keep it. She didn’t know what I meant and thought I said something different so she said yes! I did take it home with me but only because I am going to see her this Monday, and she wanted me to write a message on it. Instead of going home, we went to go get lunch (since Rieko and I didn’t eat all of our lunch), we went to a mall, and found a MacDonald’s. I got a burger and fries (and a drink!). Afterwards we went shopping. I found a gift for my mother and brother, and also my little cousin. I even got them gift wrapped for free! Well I decided when I got home to go ahead and write down how much the things cost that I got today, but in the middle of trying to figure out how to spell something Rieko came in saying my friend is here. She decided to surprise us and drop by. So I stopped what I was doing (which I was happy about) and went downstairs. We played Jenga one time and then her sister knocked on the door. We let her in and she came in just in time for the game to be almost over (where you keep pulling out blocks and putting them on the top ‘til it falls) and it was getting ready to fall. It fell in a couple more rounds (on Rieko’s turn!). We then played Go Fish for a while. Then I taught the game that I played on the way home today. We had a lot of fun, but soon it was supper time, and they left. She said she had to go pack since she was leaving for Australia in a couple days. Pretty cool, I told her my friend went there last year and had a lot of fun. We watched Happy Feet tonight, it was great. I have never seen that movie, and was told that it was boring and I wouldn’t like it. But I loved it!! My host family liked it a lot to. I wouldn’t mind at all to see that movie again.

Okay now that I am done with yesterday I will update about today.

Friday August 1, 9:15pm.
Right after I ate breakfast today I went to email mother my journal so she could update my blog. I am planning on doing a post with pictures from camp tomorrow. I was told that we would be leaving at 11:00am today to go shopping. I still wanted to find a t-shirt with Kanji (Japanese letters) on it. Can you believe that in Japan there are like no shops that have shirts with Japanese letters on them!! I have gone to like every mall up to 30 minutes away, and looked in soo many stores! But we got lucky today, and before I tell you about that I will tell you a little story…
We were GOING to leave the house at 11, but didn’t really leave ‘til about 12! It was five minutes ‘til 11 so Rieko and I stopped watching Tom and Jerry (yes in Japanese, and it was one I have never seen!!) and went to go find mother. She wasn’t anywhere in the house so I said she might be outside in the office (where the computer is). Rieko went out to see if she was there and I went to the restroom. When I came out Rieko still wasn’t there, after waiting about five minutes I went out to the office (since Rieko’s shoes weren’t there I didn’t think she was in the house) to see if I could find her. When I went inside my host mother was there but Rieko wasn’t there! After my host mother (which I am just calling her mother now, in Japanese of course) finished what she was doing she came back inside and said lets go, I said “well were is Rieko??” She thought I knew where she was but I didn’t. So we went back outside to look for her; okay well mother went back outside, I stayed inside to look for her. Mother looked in the car (just in case she decided to what for us) and in the office, but she wasn’t there. She looked right around the house, but she wasn’t there, so she came back inside and helped me look for her, we looked EVERYWHERE for her, in the bathroom, the shower room, the kitchen, ALL the bedrooms, and anywhere else, including her grandmother and fathers room. But she was not there! I was kind of getting worried, and it was about 11:30, we called and called and called for her, no answer. WE went back outside and looked for her. We didn’t think there was anywhere else to find her. Mother went out to look in the office one more time, since we couldn’t find her anywhere else. I decided to get my shoes on and follow. By the time I got outside my mother was already in the office, but I walked quickly while looking around to make sure Rieko wasn’t just standing there. When we were looking for her inside I gave the idea that maybe she is playing hide and go seek, and is hiding really good! The mother just thought “well, I don’t know”! But she didn’t believe she was hiding, I was almost to the office and I heard a knock. It was coming from my mother’s car, I went over there and looked inside, and there was Rieko!! Well I got mother and told her, yes Rieko was playing hide and go seek. She thought we were just going to get in the car so she was just waiting, but when my mother looked in the car she didn’t notice Rieko so it just made looking for her even longer!! That’s the end, but on the way to the mall I made up a song just for Rieko…

Okay back to us at the mall:
We were walking down the mall and saw a shirt with Kanji on it, so we stopped and looked. I found the shirt I liked the most and bought it, also buying another one for a friend that gave me some money to get her a shirt with Kanji on it. The shirt I got myself had from 1-10 on it, with the number written in English and in Japanese. I thought it looked like the best shirt for me so I got it. The other shirt I think said “Good Luck,” there was so many shirts, and what they said meant nothing, so I was mostly just going for the best print. It’s not like anyone is going to know what it says in America!! After we were done in that shop I found a gift for my father, and found a nice gift for my friend. We went to go eat lunch; I got pizza, french fries and a drink, the same thing Rieko and her mother got, it was really good. We went to the 100 yen shop after we finished eating (and I finished my really good ice cream!). I found some more gifts to take back home. I decided to try to pack when we got back to the house, if you go to one of my first posts there is a picture of the 2 suitcases I took to Japan (not counting my laptop bag), well the big one (that was not a carry on) only has gifts in it and is already full! I didn’t know how I was going to bring everything home (my clothes??) without having to pay a lot. I told my mother, and she said come look at this, it was the suitcase Rieko used when going from America back to Japan. She had too much stuff so we gave her one of our suitcases. Well after looking in the book we found out that you can have 2 pieces of luggage not counting your carry-on and personal item. I called my chaperone to make sure. She said “yes, its okay but I would have to pay to get it shipped from here to the airport. Since LABO only pays for 1 piece of luggage. Well it would be 2000 yen (about 20 dollars), which I have enough money to pay that and it’s not that much. Definitely since my other option is shipping it all the way home. But my chaperone said that is what she just did since she couldn’t take another suitcase home with her because she doesn’t have one. So it cost her about 14,000, (140 dollars!) which is a lot more than just paying 20 dollars for shipping it. Mother gave me ink and 3 paint brushes for my mother today, (since when I told her I needed to buy some she said no its okay, she will buy it for me as a gift for my mother). And I was also given some other things to. I am planning on packing the extra suitcase tomorrow, and I am really glad since I don’t have to worry about not having room or being over weight! Since each piece can have up to 50 pounds in it! Well before eating supper Rieko came into my room and was joking and said do I want to go walk around her house and see things. I said yes since I would like to see her neighborhood. And she was quite surprised that I said that, she even said that we would walk right by her friends house (the girls that came over yesterday), so I said lets go to there house and knock on there door and surprise them! Well Rieko was totally thinking I was joking, but I wasn’t. If they surprised us and just came and knocked on our door, lets do the same to them! She said we could and I brought some gifts with me since I still have a lot left (and I have given away a lot). They were surprised about us and the gifts, I got some pictures with me and them, and then asked if they wanted to come to the park with us (I was joking since I knew they were probably busy since one of the girls leaves for Australia this Sunday) but they went and asked there mother, she said sure so we all went to the park. It was a really small park, but it had swings so I didn’t mind! After playing for about five minutes one of the girls had to leave to go back home and study, but her sister and brother stayed. We played for about 30 minutes, while I was swinging my friend’s brother was catching frogs (which Rieko DOES NOT like), and they were cute and tiny, he even put one in Rieko’s hair with out her noticing! …well at least until we told her of course. She was rubbing her hair like crazy, but the little frog soon jumped out and then went home. Me and their eight year old brother were playing around and I accidentally knocked him in a mud puddle. I didn’t get that dirty, and wasn’t hurt at all. I said I am sorry (in Japanese) and he was jumping around and playing again on the walk home.

Sunday July 3, 12:15pm.
Yeah it is really late! I have been up all night trying to pack, but will explain about that later right now I have to talk about Saturday, since I was gone over night and didn’t take my laptop with me, I still have to update.

So for yesterday:

Saturday July 2.
We left about 9 in the morning to go pick up Rieko’s cousin and Aunt (same ones that went with us to see the fireworks). We were going to their lodge, and since they knew where it was and where going to go with us we let them ride with us in the same car (makes sense, and saves gas!). Before going to the lodge we stopped by this place called something like “Sample foods” it’s a place that makes “real” looking food! They had a shop there, and were selling lots of cool things. We signed up for a class (me, Rieko, and her cousin) to make cabbage, 2 candles, and fried shrimp (or mushrooms). The cabbage looked soo real! I really wanted to eat it, but of course there were a lot of tags saying “DO NOT EAT” …and it was in English! It was a lot of fun to make the cabbage, and really neat how we made it. I chose to make a star and heart candle. Rieko was feeling really bad (I was told she had a fever) so I made her cabbage and fried mushroom for her. I am going to try and take the “food” home with me, and am hoping it won’t break. After finishing making the food and candles we left to go eat lunch (since being in that shop just made me really hungry!) I had a hamburger without the bun (that was the way it was served), and then Rieko’s cousin and I had ice cream (since Rieko was still feeling bad she didn’t have any). It was really good, and when we finished we went to a grocery store to buy food for tonight and tomorrow morning. I got a bottle of coke for the car ride home tomorrow. And some Japanese candies to take home (U.S.A.) for my family. When we left the store we headed for the lodge/cabin. Once we got there it was about 2:00pm. After unloading the car and putting things away Rieko’s Aunt said lets go play in the river, so I rolled up my Capris and turned them in to shorts. Once we were ready we got our flip-flops on and left (the river was right beside the lodge, so we just walked to it), it was REALLY cold and the rocks were slippery but since we had the flip-flops on it held on to the rock pretty well. Since Rieko wasn’t feeling any better she stayed out of the water and took pictures with her mother. I had to help Rieko’s cousin (I would be saying his name, but I don’t know how to spell it!!) cross from rock to rock (I went through the water since I made my Capri's really short, but he was small so the water was a lot deeper on him, and his mother didn’t pull her pants up all the way so she only walked in the shallow area). It was a lot of fun to climb on the rocks, and I picked him up a lot so he could get on the really tall ones. We went down the river until I saw a trail that would lead back to the lodge, so I started to cross it, with Rieko’s Aunt yelling “NO!” she was afraid I would get hurt, but I crossed it fine. Then had to cross back to get the cousin since the water was way to deep for him. On the way back over I was almost there, but I lost my balance and fell in! My whole entire bottom and back side was soaked! I got back up (really wet of course!) and picked up Rieko’s cousin, and carried him across with out tripping! By the time we got back to the house I was a little dry, but my back side was still quite wet (my shirt was like the only thing that dried). I took a shower when we got back into the lodge, and afterwards I put the clothes outside to dry. And so did Rieko’s Aunt, since I just happened to have thrown about 10 big rocks toward her while in the river! She got pretty wet! I packed 2 pairs of shorts in my bag, and since I got my first pair all dirty (the one I came wearing, I had to change into another one) and only had one left, for tomorrow. But after tie dyeing scarves, I took off my gloves and filled them with water, it got really, really full. And then I picked it up and I ended up dropping it and it popping right in front of me, I didn’t get that wet. Then I filled up the other one and put holes in 2 fingers, and pretended to milk a goat. It felt almost real; somehow I miss milking goats, I don’t know why but I do!
When I finally went to bed, Rieko’s cousin decided he wanted to sleep with me. I said that was okay, so he slept in the same bed, which was a pretty big bed. He slept on the very edge so I had most of the bed, (he is only like 6-7 so he didn’t take up much room).

Okay it’s about 1 in the morning now so I will write about yesterday (which is Sunday, but since its past 12 its now yesterday!). So good night

Monday July 4th, 6:05pm.
I will write about today later tonight, I am going to write about yesterday right now.

Sunday July 3.
We went to a farm today, it didn’t really look like one, but they did have animals, and I spotted the horses quite quickly! I was told that we were going to ride horses, the only horse riding I saw though was, well, boring. They had about 4 horses in the big fenced in arena, and you paid 1,200yen (about 12.00 dollars) to ride around it once, at a walk being led. There was NO way I was going to do that! I really didn’t want my host mother to pay that for me when I wouldn’t even like it. I don’t even like riding by myself at a walk. So I asked my mother if I could ride alone. I thought it was going to be a no, but she asked the person who works there about that. She said the only other thing they had was riding lessons, which you do get to ride alone, but the teacher is Japanese, so that would be wasting 2,000 yen (20.00 dollars) to take a lesson. We decided to go ahead and try it, and Rieko also signed up for one. It wasn’t going to be for another 2 hours so we went to wait in line for cow milking, my mother gave us 300 yen (3 dollars) to go and buy some animal food to feed the cows right beside the place you get to milk (since we were in the back of the line it was going to be a while, I guess no one there has ever fed a animal before, I was the only one putting the food on my hand and letting them eat it, sure my hand got a little dirty, but I am used to it! And all the other kids were throwing it at the cows hoping they would catch it in there mouth! Rieko was kind of doing that, I told her just to lay her hands flat and pretend she was feeding a horse (so they won’t bit you fingers) but of course she only had 1 piece left, but she kept moving her hand right before the cow grabbed it so it fell on the ground. Once we put the cups back we went back to the line, it was almost our turn, and by seeing how the other people milk, I can tell they have never done it before! Some people didn’t even know how to put their hands on. Once it was my turn I saw the bucket, there was about 30 or more people in front of us, and the buckets bottom wasn’t even covered! They were soo surprised at how I milked, and you know I haven’t milked a goat in almost a whole month!! But soon I had to stop, don’t want the cow to be empty for the other people! We went to go eat lunch since it wasn’t time to ride yet. I got a hamburger, fries, and a Pepsi. Rieko got the same thing as me, just a different drink. After finishing I decided to have ice cream instead of a doughnut. I guess I have had enough ice cream that my mother knows what flavors I like and don’t like! She just went up there got the ice cream and came back, and much to my surprise (well not really!) it was one of my favorite flavors, vanilla! By the time we finished eating, (we had to wait on Rieko’s Aunt and cousin). It was almost time to ride the horse, with about 5 minutes we hurried to the arena (they have 2, one for people taking lessons, and one for being led around). Once the teacher warmed up the horse, it was time for my “lesson.” I asked my mother if she could explain to him that I own horses and ride everyday, and since I am not Japanese him trying to teach me won’t help a bit. She told him that and he said that I can just ride around for 10 minutes (yeah that’s how long the lesson lasts!). He must be soo used to people not knowing the front of the horse from the back, he was really surprised at how I got on and I even knew how to steer the horse! I walked the horse for a little bit first so I could get the feel of him, then I moved him into a trot, a canter, and then a gallop, which everyone who was near by came closer to watch. I guess they have never seen a kid ride like that. I had soo much fun, I haven’t ridden horses for awhile, (I didn’t get to ride the day before I left like I would have liked to do). It was a lot of fun to change from a walk to a canter, everyone would either clap, or step even closer to watch! And all the kids standing in line for the horse ride that you are being led around were all watching! But my “lesson” was soon over. I think I gave the teacher a break; he didn’t have to tell me anything. Rieko was after me, and it’s been way too long since she came to our house. She didn’t even know how to get on the horse! She put her right foot up and somehow it didn’t work! She only rode the horse for five minutes, for the other half she was learning how to lead the horse, and pet the horse. She didn’t even go faster than a walk. But to her it was fun; I guess she will have to come back to America again so I can teach her the FUN way to ride…
After leaving the farm we went home, dropping off Rieko’s cousin and Aunt, then picking up Rieko’s father and brother since we were going out to eat with Rieko’s Uncle. (we had watched the fireworks at his house). I liked this restaurant the best, you didn’t order off a menu, you got to go and look at the food and decided if you want it, and could get as little or as much as you wanted. I didn’t know but my father ordered steak for me, so once I got back with a plate full of food I had yet another plate of food to eat! I got a couple potato wedges to try, and once I did I went back up and got a plate full of them! They were soo good, better than any I have had in America. For dessert Rieko and I got flavored ice. Mine was strawberry, Rieko’s was lemon.