2012 in a nutshell

once upon a time about a year ago (or maybe it was exactly a year ago), I was reminiscing about how the last year had flown by so freaking fast. so, a great idea crossed my mind, that I would grab my journal (Emma, you would understand this), and write down the key happenings of each month. so after writing it all down, I decided to take what was in the journal and blog about it. so, because I've been sick ever since Christmas was over, I've been in bed a lot, coughing my brains out and sneezing out my eyeballs and losing my voice. somehow I managed to stay at the party last night. but once again, a year later, I have been reminiscing about this year and how it had flown by so freaking fast. 2012 has been a pretty adventurous year, the biggest I've lived through. a good 4 1/2 months, or 1/3 of the year was spent in Japan. another good 4 1/2 months was spent preparing for it. not easy stuff there. and a good 3 months was spent re-adjusting to the States. (it didn't take that long.) so, I've learned so many things this year that I'll never regret! i learned how to be grateful for all you have, not needing more, and not taking everything for granted. I learned how to survive in a foreign country. (pretty much sums that part up.) I have gotten so much closer to my little brothers. I've learned who my friends are, who will support me, and how to be a better friend myself. I survived junior high okay. I've learned how to survive high school as a freshman and get perfect grades. (that statement was a lie.) let's look at 2012, one month at a time.

JANUARY- I turned 14 and had an awesome party with all my awesome friends! I started a new semester and got pretty decent grades for the last semester. I met a lot of 7th graders that month because I had electives with them, and looking back, they had it easier.

FEBRUARY- no matter what, February is always my least favorite month. crappy weather, tons of homework, and Valentine's Day, my least favorite holiday. (must I even explain?) so I thought this picture of me snogging a giraffe was quite appropriate, as he was the closest thing to a Valentine that I could get. and this picture was actually taken in February, on one of my adventures with Callie. but that was a rare occasion- I found out that I had made Seussical the Musical,so I was booked with stupid rehearsals each week.

MARCH- I don't think I ever stopped singing. Not because I had play practice everyday (which I did), because I only sang in 4 songs, but because McCall and I were in Centennial Idol! because it began in March, we sang on different days, so our friends could vote for both of us to make it fair. funny how that all worked out. other things.... The Hunger Games came to the theaters! such a great movie. 

APRIL- General Conference, my cousin Savannah's baptism that I had been asked to play piano at like 5 minutes before it actually started (a little disorganization there), going to the temple with Raquel and other adventures, Easter celebrations, One Direction Infection, more Centennial Idol, and Seussical pretty much summed up the month of April. Rachel and I obviously didn't take it very seriously. I mean, I was a Who in Who-ville. how serious can you get? not very. 

MAY- Big Going Away party for Japan. Packing for Japan. Flying on an airplane to Japan. Arriving in Japan. Utterly terrifying month. we had some major adjusting to do, so we saved all the super cool stuff for later on and went to like 100 museums and the Imperial Gardens. I was literally in shock for the entire month of May. Living in a foreign country can be pretty scary, especially the first few weeks.

JUNE- June was a lot better than May, despite a few emotional breakdowns here and there. (I was homesick, okay? don't judge!) but this was when we started to really do stuff. we went to Sendai, where the earthquake was. it's amazing what a years difference can make. the city looked as good as new! the biggest highlight was our trip to Kyoto and Nagoya, where we saw many shrines and temples and learned about the history of Japan. we ran into a few geisha and samurai while we were there. after being here a month, I had gotten the Asian Peace Sign pose down pretty well, as you can tell. we also ate several interesting foods, such as octopus, raw fish, calamari, sesame ice cream... not too tasty.

JULY- Terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad month, if you could tell by the gross looking picture of Wes eating something disgusting and me looking disgusted. for one thing, it was so bloody hot, we were all sweating profusely. the AC didn't do much help. everyone in our ward had gone back to the States so it was very lonely. but the worst thing that happened was Wesley getting sick and going to the hospital. And that's all I'm gonna say about July.

AUGUST- things got much better and a lot of stuff happened. beware of the long post. Olympics, Kamakura, Yokohama, Monkey Park, and Youth Conference and hiking Mt. Fuji is what we did. I made tons of friends and had the time of my life hiking it with my mommy! what a painful, awesome experience. all my friends came back from the states to start school, so I wasn't as lonely anymore! however, in Provo, all my friends started school while I was crying at the top of Mt. Fuji, so that meant homeschooling, which meant death. can I just say, never do homeschooling. it sucks. also, There are 2 kinds of fools in this world: those who never hike Fuji, and those who hike it twice. some words of wisdom here.

SEPTEMBER- (okay, I lied. this one is longer than August). let's get this over with. Girls Camp! Hokkaido! Hakone! Tokyo Disney! Shopping! Early Morning Seminary! Friends! Went home! School! More friends! Homework! Missed all my Tokyo friends, but happy to see my Provo friends. k there that was quick.

OCTOBER- Possibly my favorite month that wasn't spent in Japan. I just love everything about it. General Conference and the new missionary ages, we're kind of settling in school and getting used to it and making more friends, Halloween falls at the end of the month, the weather is still pretty nice, and football, football, football. I went to tons of games with my friends, and we won every single one of them. Go Thunderbirds! 

NOVEMBER- My parents went to Hawaii and left us with our grandparents, and it snowed. I was stuck at a football game with no gloves or handwarmers all the way in Salt Lake, but the best part was that we won the semi-finals. the next week, my parents come back, it doesn't snow, and Timpview wins state champs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no big deal. okay, that's kinda a big deal. for Thanksgiving, we went down to Phoenix to see our adorable cousins. the end of the month I had my dance concert, which I admit, I was pretty sad when it was over. 

 DECEMBER- obviously, football season ended, and basketball season began. I went to one Timpview game with my friends, I went to the BYU vs. Utah one with my family, and the Jazz game with Wesley and Dad. both Timpview and BYU won, but the Jazz lost. (why don't we have Jimmer?) It snowed a ton, and we ended up having a white Christmas after all! I've been pretty sick for like the whole month with a cold, so it's been kind of miserable. but last night I was able to get out of the house and go to the multi-stake youth dance! perhaps the best part was seeing 2 of my best friends who I hadn't seen in forever. Emma (the tall blonde Aussie with curly hair) just moved back to Provo from Maine, and I have missed her more than I can explain! So glad she is back!!!!!!!! I knew that Emma would be there, but if things couldn't get any better, my friend Rachel (the tall brunette with perfect silky hair) from California came and surprised me! she left for California before I left for Japan, so I hadn't seen her for even longer. I was so happy to see both of them! we partied until after midnight.

as for new years resolutions, mine are to get only A's and B's, get a Learner's Permit and pass on the first try, serve people, get on the Timpview Tennis Team, maybe try out for cheer but that's probably a no-go, and to be a happier, more positive, and (yes, I'm actually saying this) quieter person. I live out loud, and sometimes it would be better to not have all the attention. so I'll work on that.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!!

Sayonara.

"there are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."
-C.S. Lewis

"You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one."

"Promise you'll never forget me, ever," said Pooh. "Not even when I'm a hundred."

"I saw a flock of birds flying north today. If they can move on from summer, so can I."

well, fine, Pinterest. if you want me to forget the best 4 1/2 months of my life, then good for you. unfortunately, my adventure in Japan has come to an end. I'm all packed up and ready to go. all I need to to is get on the plane tomorrow, and then I'll start the next chapter in my life, which is called "for real highschool." homeschooling is one of the things I'm not going to miss about Japan. I'm flying away on Tuesday in Japan, cross the international dateline, and land in Provo on Tuesday. so, in 2 days from now, I will be back in the same house I've lived in for the last 8 years. I will have my own bedroom again. my cellphone will finally start working. I'll have all the food that I have missed. I will be able to see all my friends again, start school, and get back into a normal life. I will be able to walk to school and church. I will finally be able to practice piano after a long 4 1/2 months with only playing in church. and most importantly, I will be able to read and understand what everyone's saying!

but I have got to admit that I will always remember my adventure in Japan. I have changed so much while I was here. I have grown up. I have learned not to take everything for granted. I have become closer to my brothers and my parents. I have been more motivated to go to church and seminary because I've been socially isolated all day with my brothers, and it's good to get out of the house and see real people. because of that, not only have I made so many new friends, but also strengthened my testimony. but most of all, I have learned to appreciate Japan.

On my last Saturday here, our ward had a Country BBQ party with line dancing, sheriff badges, and dessert. not a ton of my friends came, but at least some of them did! I hung out with my favorite Aussie of all time, Scarlett. we had a great time talking and eating and playing with the little kids! we helped all the young ones make sheriff badges and played with them. my favorite family ever, the Gottfredsons, especially enjoyed this. Kylie and Renae, ages 6 and 5, made about 100 badges each for themselves, me, Scarlett, Liam, their parents, and everyone! and because both of the girls look up to me as their fashion idol, Kylie turned 2 of her badges into "big earrings like Miriam's." she drew me a picture of a basketball and said, "if you are ever sad, look at this picture and make a wish that you will see me again!" Renae wrote me a little note that said "I love you." and Liam, being cute little Liam, just ran around and went crazy! he did make a badge for himself ("just as long as you write my name, Miriam! I'm only 3!"), said thank you, and said, "You can have it! Your name can be Liam!" I will miss all 3 of them soooo much! In the summer, all my friends were on vacation, and my main motivation for going to church was to see the cute little Gottfredson gang!

oh, and cute little Isaac the Cowboy wanted a picture of him because he was "just so cute!" I told him he was the rootnest, tootnest cowboy of all of Japan, and he said, "Thanks, but I wanted to be the rootnest, tootness, cowboy in the wild, wild west!" he's darling, I know.

when we weren't entertaining the kiddos, Scarlett, India (my other favorite Aussie of all time), a few other girls, and the bishop all did the Footloose dance together! it was soooo fun!

Sunday, everyone in Sunday school and Young Women said goodbye, and in YW, we got treats. All the girls gave me a Sayonara Doll, which is a farewell custom in Japan. if you untie the ribbon around the doll's kimono, it opens up as a huge roll of paper where everyone writes their wishes to you on your next journey. all the girls and the leaders signed it! I named it Takeshita, because it needed a Japanese name, and Takeshita is a street in Harajuku where all the crazy dressed people march around on weekends. kind of like New York. and also because I just like that word... (I won't even go there).

after seminary, I went to my friend Jayne's house for one last lunch. this time, our whole family ate lunch there. it was a nice way to say goodbye! after lunch was done, Jayne did some homework, my family walked to the train station, and Mary May gave me a little keychain and a card to say goodbye. she said that I was like her older sister, which means a lot! she has become a younger sister to me! when Jayne was done with homework, we went to seminary for one last time. everyone was sad about me leaving, so to "celebrate/mourn", they made me play piano and say the prayer! all the boys wanted to sign the Sayonara Doll as well, so Takeshita took a long journey around the seminary room in the hands of many teenage boys with handwriting worse than mine. (which isn't too bad.) a few of the best notes in there (won't be saying any names; these aren't all from boys):

"I love you, even though you like BYU! PS. GO UTAH!"

"It will be soooo much more quiet when you leave :("

"Don't hit your head with a bird and don't laugh at the buffalo!" (I love you, Sarah.)

"We may have only known each other for a few months, but those months have seemed like FOREVER, and they were the best few months ever!"

"Hope Provo treats you well again!"

"You are LEGIT!"

I will miss going to seminary and mutual and sunday school and Young Womens! everyone in the ward is soooooo nice, outgoing, and friendly! I will miss everyone more than I can even explain! from all the girls who have reached out and made me feel at home to the crazy, cheeky boys in Sunday school, I just love my ward so much! Church will for sure be different without all my best friends!

 Amanda and me! this is a weird picture. but we have become great friends while I was here! she is one of the sweetest girls ever!

 me, India, and Scarlett Aalders. both the Aalders sisters have been like sisters to me! They always look so cute, both of them are super friendly and happy all the time, and have wonderful Australian accents! (Justin said that India is Australian, and Scarlett is British. Well, he got that wrong!). India was one of the first to reach out to me, and is always so nice to everyone. Scarlett and I just immediately clicked, and is very bubbly, energetic, and super talented! She also adores my brothers and can't stop talking about how cute they are! Oh, how I will miss these girls!

 This lovely girl is Savannah Napierski, the first friend I made here! We met at the first ward party (before church!), and I thought she was 16 instead of my age, she's so gorgeous! and also extremely tall... she is absolutely amazing in every way, and we will for sure have to see each other again the next time she comes to Provo!

Oh, and we can't forget Sarah! she has been around all summer, and we really got to know each other at youth conference, camp, and riding the train together from seminary! she is absolutely hilarious and super smart, and we talk about the ramdomest things! I am so glad that we were able to bond over the summer when no one was in town!

to anyone I haven't mentioned, it's because I don't have a picture with you, and this post would last for eternity. I love you all, and thanks to everyone who made Tokyo the best time of my life! The next time I will post, I'll be in Provo. It's crazy. and you better be reading this blog, Tokyo people!

Sayonara,

torn.

the last few weeks have been pretty rough for me. I've become a lot closer with my Tokyo ward friends, and I will really miss them when I leave. I've also started "school", but then got pulled out of it because the district is upset because I didn't show up for the first 10 days, so I have officially been removed as a student at Timpview High School. I was supposed to be registered as a late arrival. so, this registration process is really stressful. also, my parents are getting stricter and stricter now that my ward friends are in school, as well as my Provo friends. mornings for me is afternoon for them, so it's the only time I can get on Facebook to talk to them. My dad highly disapproves of this, as I am not doing "homework first." and then there's my brothers, who also have homework. all done online, as we don't have a printer. and books. we didn't bring any paperbacks, so we have to read either from the iPad or the Kindle, which 1. I am such a great sister, I got Wesley addicted to The Hunger Games! (which he's obsessed, but he still can't understand how I cry everytime I read about Peeta and the bread, or anytime Mockingjay is even mentioned). 2. Justin is also addicted to books, but for him, it's Harry Potter. he started the first book this summer, and is now in the middle of the 4th. and he's only in 4th grade. I didn't even start the series until the beginning of 5th grade, and I finished in the middle of 6th grade. so, both of my brothers are always using one or the other to read, and I am in Honors English 9, and I have not only 1 but 2 biographies that I have to read before I get back to the states. the first one was about a hurricane in Galveston, Texas. it dragged on really slooooooooooowwwly. I personally was bored to death. the second book, I am able to choose, and I chose this really good book called Unbroken, which I am addicted to. but I barely have any time to really get into it because the iPad is also used for watching movies, playing Smurf Village (both the boys are obsessed!), Angry Birds (MOM is obsessed!), and as a computer when the laptop is taken. so, there is a challenge with that.

my nonexistent math teacher finally proved she exists by emailing not me, but my parents, who expected me to get the message. I have missed a whole chapter, and by the time I get back, it will have been 2 chapters. this was a bad time to take Algebra 2, because I didn't do too well in Geometry and was planning on retaking it as a freshman, but the registration people automatically assumed that if I was a Geometry student, I would have to take Algebra 2. also, as you know, all my friends took it last year and are in Geomecrap this year. so, I got taken out of Algebra 2 and am now enrolled in the same class, but using eSchool (which I should've used for Geomecrap!). all in all, it's been complete chaos.

early morning seminary is pretty much killing me. I have to play piano, I don't have any written scriptures (they were so heavy I left them in Provo and thought I'd get off easy using my iPod, but they would prefer the written stuff), I'm not on my ADD meds yet, so I'm not focused at all and I'm pretty much falling asleep. as soon  as I get back, the boys are awake, so that ruins any chance of falling back asleep. but it gives me a good reason to actually read my scriptures!

in addition to this schooling stuff, I'm stuck in the middle. all of my Japan ward friends have really gotten to know me, and I love them. I will really miss them, and it doesn't help that every time I show up to seminary or mutual, they always remind me, "Oh my gosh, Miriam, you're leaving so soon! I'm gonna miss you so much! You are such a sweet girl and very talented and such a great friend and yeah yeah yeah..." which means a lot to me, because I've actually found a place in this ward! but do I like being reminded? heck no! it only makes it worse. not only are the young men/women doing this, but the young families as well. let's take the cute little G. family as an example. darling 6 year old Kylie and adorable 5 year old Renae look to me as a fashion idol. every Sunday, they find something new about my outfit to obsess over, and ask their mom, "Can I get this? I wanna look like Miriam!" and they always check every week to make sure I'm wearing a different pair of earrings! Liam, their charming 3 year old brother also inspects my earrings, along with showing me all his new creations he makes in nursery. "Look, Miriam! I colored this picture! and it says my name, L-I-A-M! And I'm wearing your favorite little stripey socks again without shoes! Can you go home and play with me all day? It'll be super-duper fun!"  and then there are my youth conference buddies, whom I would do anything to see them again. but I'm leaving too soon to even get a chance of seeing them again.

my Provo friends aren't taking this too well either. to all you Provo friends reading this, do not get offended. when I first left, I got a party. I got a Japan book. I got a yearbook signed. Everyone was asking how I was doing. then, they accepted that I was gone and didn't pay any attention, except for the occasional photo liking on Instagram or email. it was quite boring. but as soon as school started, they're all like, "Miriam, we miss you sooooo much! Come home right now, please! You've been gone way too long!" or "You are loving Japan way too much, and I'm afraid you'll never leave. Why did it have to grow on you?" or "So ready for you to get home! P-Town needs your stinkin cute face!" and I appreciate that very much. it makes me want to come back. but really, why did you have to wait until the end of my time in Japan? that kind of makes it harder. and saying that you wish that I didn't like Japan? well, again, no offence, but if you're my friend, you should want me to be happy. believe me, I wasn't happy at first. but that's when all you guys were on summer vacation. having a blast. and when I'm happy, you remind me that I should come home. which I'm super excited to do. but sad at the same time.

"Nothing's fine, I'm torn.
I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel.
I'm cold and I'm ashamed, lying broken on the floor.
Illusion never changed, into something real.
I'm wide awake, and I can see the perfect sky is torn.
You're a little late, I'm already torn."
-Torn by some other singer, but I like the One Direction acoustic version. go look it up!

well, that might've been a slight exaggeration. but that's how I'm feeling right now. torn. I don't want to leave Japan. but I miss all my friends of Provo. I want to go back. But I don't. I want to stay in Tokyo. But I don't. see how confusing this gets?

but to face reality, I am flying back to Provo in 12 days.

Toe-kyo, P-Town, the other P-Town, and Aussies.

first things first. when I went to Kyoto about 6 weeks ago, I developed this really nasty blister on my toe from walking around all day in the rain, wearing Toms (which don't do really well when wet). since I have had several toe problems in the past, one I even had to get surgery for, we didn't know whether to do anything about it, or just wait and see if it would get better. after all, I've gotten blistered toes before, so we decided to just leave it alone. well, long story short, my poor Bubba big toe (yes, Justin and I decided to name all our toes one night, and laugh all you want. Wesley, being "normal", decided to name all his toes "Toe." very original, right?) has been stubbed, ran over by swivel chairs, stepped on by brothers, fathers, and ladies in the subway wearing platform shoes, banged against a table, and badly abused in the past 6 weeks. I have been wearing mostly flip flops during that time, because I only brought 6 pairs of shoes: my flip flops, my tennis shoes, and my 4 pairs of Toms. but everytime my toe started to look better, it just got abused more, and an infection started to develop, and later, an ingrown toenail came along as well. my whole toe was infected (no, this was not One Direction Infection. that, I'm afraid, has only one cure, which happens to be more One Direction), and finally, after getting my toe squashed by the lady on the train wearing freaking stilettos, and after screaming at her because I couldn't take it, I finally got a doctors appointment with an English speaking doctor. the infection had gotten really bad, and his solution? simply remove the toenail. so, my toe got numbed (the injection didn't work the first time, and Mom nearly fainted, but that's a long story), hacked at, and they sent me away and made me walk all the way to the nearest train station, in the rain, with a plastic bag covering my foot. anyway, one day later, my toe is completely bandaged up and it doesn't feel like it is getting pounded on anymore, but I still can't really walk. even worse that it had to happen in Toe-kyo, where you have to pretty much walk everywhere you go! I had to miss going to the Imperial Palace with the rest of the fam because it would be a 2 hour walking tour! I was very productive and stayed in bed and Facebooked with Megan about Little Mix the whole time.

now that you have read my extremely boring story, I figured that your brain would like a breath of fresh air. I'm sorry, this air isn't really fresh. I just barely found out that Emma, one of the best friends I've ever had is moving to Portland, Maine! that is like the furthest place away from Provo you could get while staying in the U.S. (Hawaii and Alaska don't count!) I'm pretty sad. no wait, I'm gonna die, I'm so depressed! (don't worry. I'll try to stick around for at least a good 60 more years!) Now, Emma, if you ever read this thing (which I'm pretty sure you probably don't), I love everything about you: your delightful Aussie accent, your beautiful smile, your sense of humor, our random conversations on Facebook, at lunch, or walking home, our inside jokes, how you are always happy and easygoing, how you are such an easy person to talk to because not only do you listen well, you are also very nice to talk to! when my day is the worst, I always feel better after we talk! oh, and you are so gorgeous you could be a model, and you have amazing photography/editing skills! I will miss you heaps, and I would do anything to see you again and hear your wonderful Australian accent once more! you light up my world like nobody else. you've got that one thing. if we could only have this life, for one more day...if we could only turn back time! you are so freaking legit! I love you dearly! I'm cereal! and oh, dear Emzie, you will always be my favorite Aussie of all time!!! (and even though you will always be Australian, P-Town will surely miss you! and I meant P-Town as in Provo, not P-Town as in Portland!)

sorry, horrible picture of us on halloween. I look terrible!

isn't she just absolutely gorgeous?

so, I've been pretty sad about that. I just can't believe it had to happen so soon! but hey, there's always Facebook! most of the time I absolutely hate Facebook, unless I find something funny to post, but surprisingly, it has been getting me through this whole trip! I've been able to chat with a lot of my friends and tell them about Japan. today, I was able to talk to Megan (whom I haven't talked to in forever. I miss that girl so much!), Miranda, Angie, Raquel (okay, we were texting), Emma (obviously), and Callie (okay, all we did was snapchat each other stupid duck face pictures for a whole hour, but we're just cool like that!). I can't wait to see all of you girlies again!!!!!

Song of the day: Wings- Little Mix
Quote of the day: "They can't detain you, these wings were made to fly."

the kindness of strangers

because I have no idea who actually reads this thing, first off, I would just like a comment/follow from anyone with a blogger/google account because it seems like the only people who are reading this are a few of my relatives. so, I would appreciate it if I could at least get 1 comment on this post! thanks so much! and again, I know, I have been blogging so much, but we have new adventures pretty much every day. and i know, my Kyoto post was extremely long, and I know I just barely posted it, but........you get it, right?

on Sunday, we had LDS stake conference, and we had to switch trains a few times to get there, it was so far away. plus, we had just gotten back from Kyoto and we had to use our Suica cards (our train passes) a ton. on Monday, since I needed to recover from blistered toes, I watched One Direction- A Year In The Making with my mom (you should definitely watch this video, even though it's super long, and even if you aren't a big fan of them, it's still really good). We both loved it, and cried about it (if you know me well, I cry a ton in movies/videos), and it is just a good example of how you should never give up, no matter how many times you get knocked down. It is also just amazing the way they handle their fame so well. They have gone on to be one of the world's biggest British-Irish boybands in the world, but they are talking about how grateful they are for this opportunity, to do what they enjoy doing, how close they are to each other, and just.....how real they are. And the part when Louis Tomlinson is talking about his mum and his parent's divorce, he never said how hard it was for him. He was talking about how hard it was for his mum. Really, that's amazing.

well, enough about that. after watching A Year In The Making, the boys and Mom rode the subway and went to the park while I continued to rest. I thought my Suica card wouldn't have any problems because I stayed home yesterday......

yesterday, we went to Odaiba to go to that one science museum that we didn't finish seeing the first time. We had to switch subway lines twice (one of which we were on for a really long time), and then ride on a commuter type of train. the museum was actually fun (coming from the girl who freaking hates science museums), and there was a really kind staff member who spoke perfect English and helped us around. but it was a really hot day, we didn't bring any food, and there's no drinking fountains. so, when we got on the commuter train, I ran my Suica card through the scanner. It said I only had 80 yen left on there-not enough to get me all the way back to our home station. but we were fine on the commuter train. however, Mom didn't believe me in that I only had 80 yen left. she thought I read it wrong, so in one of the other stations, she recharged the boys Suica cards first, thinking that because they had the child cards instead of the adult cards, they needed it more. but she ran out of money to put on my card, and when I ran it through the scanner, it turned red, made the REJECTION! noise, and wouldn't let me through the gates.

it was hopeless. Wesley and Justin were complaing of dehydration and starvation, and there was just no way that I would get back home. we didn't even think that we could afford a single ticket to get me home. but this fantastico Irish guy noticed our dilemma, and asked how he could help. Mom explained our situation and that we didn't know how to get me home because we didn't have money. but the Irish guy showed us where it had the ticket costs, which varied on which station, instead of which stop, which would've drained our money away. he asked us where we needed to go, and he told us that we actually had enough money to get me home! really, it's not everyday, especially in Tokyo, when someone is kind enough to help you get home, and who speaks English. to celebrate getting home, Mom bought Coke, ice cream, and jellybeans and chocolate covered macadamias. It was a good celebration. Justin, in fact, was just overly excited that the dude had an Irish accent that he did his "Irish Niall Horan" dance (which is even better when he's doing it in the rain), and we listened to One Direction ("to celebrate the Irishness of Niall James Horan and that dude that helped Miriam get a ticket", according to Justin), played Phase 10, and partied! I am so grateful for the kindness of strangers. In Provo, Land of the Mormons, Valley of the Happy, Place where everyone could be a little too friendly, I took that for granted. but in a foreign place, it's truly amazing when that happens.

Imperial Gardens: my transcandental escape.

On Wednesday, we had the chance to go to the Imperial Gardens. it is an amazing place for pictures! and they are HUGE. we were in there for like 2 hours, and we didn't even see the whole place yet. they are also very pretty, calm, and well, something like a place mentioned in my transcandelist post. after that, we went to a really cool fountain place. It reminded me a lot of City Creek in Salt Lake City (one of my favorite places in the universe). it was so amazing to see the beauty of these gardens (see, I sound transcandentalist again). my favorite one is the one of me with the skyline in the background. it was a great adventure!

again, the size amazed me. it was big enough to fit a whole entire city in there, and it is only a teeny tiny piece of Tokyo (just to give you an idea how big Tokyo actually is). In the city, there is absolutely no space. everything is crammed together, the streets are packed, and the subways are usually packed. in the Imperial Gardens, everything is spread out, there's a little stream with a waterfall, and lot of trees and flowers, and grass. for the first time ever, I actually saw grass in Tokyo. even at other parks, there are trees, dirt, and tons of weeds, but absolutely no grass. it was a lovely getaway from all the commotion and chaos in Tokyo! it was peaceful. I got what I wanted: a taste of simplicity.

{by the way, I am not really big on transcandentalism. I've just been under a lot of stress and adjusting, so I kind of went all transcandentalist. but in real life, I am not usually like this at all!}

more updating: we went to our LDS ward party (we are in an English-speaking branch) and there's actually more girls there than in my old ward! yes, I come from Provo. Where LDS Churches are all around the corner. The Land of The Mormons. but I did not have very many people my age in my ward! In fact, only 2 other girls went to my school. I was in a Sunday-school class with only 3 other boys my age. it was so small, the boys that were 2 grades younger with us had to combine with our class. but here, there's a lot of girls, and I've already met more than were ever in my old ward! it is really nice, except most of them are leaving for the summer and I have to go back to what I was facing in Provo. see, some things are similar.

one of the issues is food. our family would die without it. Mom and I used to go to Costco at least 2 times a week, the food ran out so fast. my brothers, who both look like 8 year olds, act like 2 year olds, are actually 9 and 11 1/2, but eat like 16 year olds are some of the reason all our food goes down the drain. if I go too long without food (usually 2 1/2 hours), I go crazy. luckily, Mom is a good cook and would always bake cookies, make dinner, and replenish the pantry whenever it even showed the slightest decrease on food supply. here, you can't buy anything in bulk. everything is so expensive, and the supply would last us for 1 day, tops. so, we have to go shopping like every other day, and even that food isn't enough. I guess I'll come back as skinny as a rail! I miss our food, but hey, it's only 4 months! oh, and I haven't eaten anything too odd yet. we've only had: bananas, pineapple, spaghetti, ramen noodles, fried rice, pancakes, Frosted Flakes, Japanese Cheetos (there is a very significant difference between those and American Cheetos), Yaki Soba (noodles and pork in this really good sauce), Mabo-Tofu, and sushi. sooner or later, I will have to eat fish-eggs!

a day in Tokyo

Good news- the cord connecting my camera to the computer finally came. So, I will be doing some "mega-posts" of pictures. So, don't get bored. These first pics are a lot of pics that Mom took before Imperial Gardens/Zoo, and it's mostly my brothers. (all the ones of me I absolutely hate). these pics are what we do on a daily basis: go on walks to the park. get eaten by mosquitoes. get rained on. and we did go to 2 museums, but the pics weren't that good. so, enjoy these first ones!

 it rains a lot here.

 brotherly love

 this is one of the many unusual statues in this park. there is also a really weird unicorn, a snail, and...the rest I'm afraid isn't G-Rated!

 looks like they got themselves girlfriends!

 Mom and Justin in the front yard by our apt.

haha Justin fell off the duck!