Weekends


Sat., Feb 22nd

 It was a relaxing day. After breakfast, I watched an action movie on Netflix. John set it up with English subtitles to help me study. After the movie, John and I walked to a nearby supermarket. A secondhand shop had many unique items, and John explained each one. On the way home, John bought me a matcha latte from a coffee shop. Back home, John made waffles, and I used the new maple syrup on them.

 My host family had plans to re-roof their house, so they talked with a contractor at home. During that time, I watched another movie on Netflix. The contractor knew a little Japanese and said "arigato (Thank you.)" and "dou-itashi-mashite (You're welcome.)" to me.

  At 6 p.m., we went to Auburn High School to watch basketball. Auburn High School has a very strong basketball team. We watched both the girls' and boys' games, which lasted about four hours. Both Auburn teams won. John and Shirlee were very happy that their local high school teams won. I was also happy to see such a good game.

John Made the Pancake	Winning Team

Sun., Feb 23rd 

 In the morning, we went to church. My host family is Christian, and we went to church every Sunday morning. Many Green River College students were at the church. It had a cafe inside where college students often gathered. I saw Japanese, Korean, and Chinese students there. I talked with a Japanese girl from Green River College. Everyone sang in church, but it was surprising because it felt more like a concert than I had imagined.

 After church, we went to a nearby Starbucks, and I drank hot chocolate. Starbucks in America has many items not found in Japan. My favorite was the butter croissant.

 Back home, John and I watched Indiana Jones . During the movie, a neighborhood girl visited our house with some eggs. Soon after, her whole family came over, and we talked a lot. This neighboring family raises chickens and rabbits.

 Before dinner, John and I went for a walk. He showed me a park where his daughters used to play. As we walked, I noticed many Japanese cars. My host family's car was also Japanese, so I guess they're popular there.

Starbucks in America	The neighbor who gave us eggs

Sat., Mar 1st 

 In the morning, John went for a 26-mile (about 42 km) run, and Shirlee went with him. I was told I could stay home, so I relaxed. Around 11 a.m., Shirlee came back. She had promised to make meatballs at John's friend's house, so I went with her. We worked together and made about 500 meatballs. For lunch, they served hamburgers and a buffet. John is Italian American, so he and his Italian American friends in the neigborhood gather regularly.

 In the evening, we went to Shirlee's friend's house. She was a very kind woman who owned a Golden Retriever. Other friends from the neighborhood also came, and we talked around a campfire. It was cold that day, but we still had a great time.

Big Meatballs	Italian Party in America

Sun., Mar 2nd 

 In the morning, we went to church and then to Starbucks. When I first came to America, Shirlee gave me a Starbucks card. Last time, Shirlee ordered for me, but this time, I ordered by myself and paid with the card. The clerk spoke quickly, but I managed to order.

 In the afternoon, we went to Seattle to see a pageant. It was like a beauty contest in Japan. The costumes were sparkling, and everyone was so beautiful. I took a picture with a woman John and Shirlee knew. She was very beautiful, and I was happy to take a photo with her.

 On the way home, we went to Red Robin, a family restaurant. I ate chicken, French fries, and onion rings. It was a busy day, but very fun.

My Host Family's Friend	At Red Robbin with My Host Family

Sat., Mar 8th 

 That day, Shirlee and I went to watch John's half marathon race. John ran with his friend and successfully finished. Finishers received medals, and John put his medal around my neck. I thought John and his friend were really energetic. After that, my host family and their friends went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. I ordered a chicken burrito, but it was too big to finish, so I took the rest home. I really like that in America, you can easily take leftover food home.

 Later, Shirlee suggested we go look for a troll. We searched in the forest and found a cute one. Many other people were also looking for trolls. It was a cold day, but it was fun to find one.

Marathon Event	Burrito Filled with Cheese	Kind-faced Troll

Sun., Mar 9th 

 That day, I went to Tacoma. There's a University of Washington campus there. Near the university, we found a Starbucks and I ordered a hot chocolate and a butter croissant. After that, we visited a glass art museum. It had many unique and beautiful glass crafts, and just looking at them was enjoyable.

 For lunch, we went to a pizza place I'd wanted to try. The pizzas were American-sized, so they were very big. I ate a BBQ chicken pizza, but just like the burrito from the day before, I couldn't finish it and took the rest home. Even though it was a cold day, we went to an ice cream shop afterward. The shop had a really cute and nice design. It was one of hard to choose with so many flavors, but I picked cookies and cream. It was the most memorable times I've ever had.

American-sized Big Pizza	Big Ice Cream