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."

July flies by.

Happy Fast Sunday! Truth is, this is my least favorite day of the whole month. sure, if you really really really like going to church, have a strong testimony of fast, or simply enjoy sitting in church without eating any breakfast and/or lunch, the worst headache in the world, starving to death, listening to people bear their testimonies, falling asleep, and just dying for either food or Ibuprofen, only then would Fast Sunday be a good day. sorry, this is just my honest opinion. right now, I am sitting here, bored out of my mind with the worst headache ever (even though I've eaten and taken ibuprofen; in our family, we break our fast as soon as we get home from church), wearing an old t-shirt and boxers (too hot for sweats, and the rule is on Sunday, if you aren't going to stay in your Sunday clothes all day, you aren't allowed to look pretty), make-up washed off, no jewelry, and the only sign that I even went to church today is my curly hair. Fast Sunday in Japan is worse- we have to wait an hour after church because of the stupid subway ride, Wesley (who is one of those people who actually enjoys fast sunday) waking up super early just so he can get ready to go to church so he can Skype his friends and wake me up, running low on time and having to change my outfit like a million times, and not to mention I only slept for 5 hours last night....... okay. rant over.

so, it's August now. still can't believe it. last weekend, I got my schedule for Timpview High School. (Which starts in 3 weeks, super crazy!)
Computer tech- heard this class really sucks unless you have friends.
Algebra 2- still don't have a teacher. I hate math, but still better than geomecrap.
Seminary- pretty excited! of what I've seen on Facebook, I have a lot of friends in there!
Human Biology- most interesting science class available to freshmen. don't know what to think about that.
Fashion Strategies- super pumped! this was really the only class I was interested in taking, and I know it might sound like a prissy girly girl class, I'm still extremely excited for this one!
Honors English 9- I'm a bit nerdy and actually like English to some degree, but a ton of work in here!
Peer Tutoring- I didn't even sign up for this class, and they only take people who fill out an application. super confused on how I got in here, but I really liked doing it in junior high, so I'm actually really happy they put me in there!
Japanese- death. my parents made me take it because "it'll be an easy class to catch up on, and you're in Japan, so what could be better than learning more of it and gaining a great cultural experience?" well I'll just say that's a load of crap. Japanese is already hard enough to understand, even harder to speak, but reading it just kills me. I can't tell the characters apart or even recognize them. I only really know how to say "The cow's stomach is a watermelon" or "it's hot today, isn't it?" and I've been here for almost 3 months.

my overall feelings about school? well, I literally can't wait to get back to good ole P-Town and see my friends again! I've been counting the days until we go back (only 51 more days!!!). and it'll be good to get busy because chilling in a teeny apartment with nothing to do is torture. and I will actually see people my age who speak my language! but starting 5 weeks late is even worse than the first day of school. okay, everyone pretty much knows who I am, I live right by the school (about a mile-ish away), I have friends and all, and some new clothes (will talk about those next), but what if I get lost? the people who don't know me will treat me like the "new girl." (which I've experienced at church, and as nice as our fellow wardies may be, I do not enjoy the whole "new girl" thing at all.) what if my teachers actually don't email me my assignments and give me a boatload of work to do as soon as I arrive? I missed tennis team tryouts over the summer, and girls tennis is during the fall, so unless they let me on the team as a "walk-on", my high school dream is shattered. (okay, there's always sophmore year for me to get even better, but still.) a lot of my friends are cheerleaders, and I won't even go into that. because of my late-start, I don't even know where I'll fit in because who knows, they could find new friends and I'll just be singing Cher Lloyd all day. Remember all the things that you and I did first, and now you're doing them with her? that has happened before.

homeschooling and early morning seminary- give me a break. I already don't sleep because my bedroom is the freaking living room that everyone else uses, and my dad is up all night working so I go to bed super late, and now I have to wake up at 5 just to get on the train to the church for seminary? you have got to be kidding me. I hope it's acceptable to go in my boxers, old t-shirt, messy hair, and no make-up. probably not. but at least it's only twice a week and I'll only be doing it for a month. the homeschooling has got to be a massive pain with 2 brothers, one who is a genius know-it-all and is always looking for the opportunity to prove me wrong, the other being a perfectionist and even gets mad if I get stuff wrong, living in the same "house" as me. no space to do homework. I'm seriously thinking of buying an early plane ticket and getting back to Provo this second.

what I actually did this week- my iPod managed to fly out of my lap and break itself. we went to the apple store hoping that it would be a cheap repair, but I had to replace the whole thing. and my dad, who believes that I "need to be more responsible and learn how to budget money and work for things and if you don't pay me back half of the cost of your iPod by this date, you're grounded for life." well, the apple store was in GINZA. my favorite shopping district in Tokyo. and since I need more school clothes because I brought all my nice clothes to Tokyo, only to get them ruined in the laundry because they smell like sweat and can't dry and are all wrinkled, I just couldn't resist. and guess what was right next to the apple store?

you got it. Forever 21!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
{i could live in that store if i could.}
and that's where all my money went. Mom was actually nice enough to take me to another place in Ginza called GU, where she bought me some lacy shorts! but everything else I bought was from XXI and now my money is gone. but it was worth it.

well, I'm sorry that I am boring the crap out of you, but one last thing: I will now feature a "song of the day" and a "quote of the day." enjoy!

song of the day: Want U Back- Cher Lloyd
quote of the day: "The scariest thing about distance is that you never know whether they'll miss you or forget you."
-The Notebook

the story of Wesley.

let's start from the beginning of this very complicated story. last Monday, as you know, I celebrated One Direction Day with mostly Justin. Wesley decided to be a party pooper and fall asleep (in my bed, I might add, which I later kicked him out of). He woke up complaining of pain in his legs and stomach, and he didn't have a voice. But we thought it was just a cold and that it would go away. Later that night (while I was staying Up All Night, haha), he was moaning like a dying cow. I knew it was more than a cold, but because we come in a family where we are supposed to "tough everything out", my parents thought he was being overdramatic. turns out they were wrong.

the next day, he had diarrhea and was throwing up. if you know me at all,you know that I have a very weak stomach for puke. can't see it, hear it, watch it, smell it, if you puke, I'll probably run away screaming. (I'm working on that!) so, it was a nightmare. wesley would puke in our one bathroom we have. I would run away to the backyard, freak out, and get eaten by mosquitoes. Justin, the worrier who freaks out about everything, was crying hysterically, afraid that he would get sick as well. We would be stuck in the living room all day with nothing to do because Wesley was using the iPad all day. my parents were all over him and taking care of him and all, but they still believed "it's just a flu."

Wednesday he was getting worse. we found a rash on his legs, and there was something really wrong. I was outside with Justin, and one of our Japanese neighbors (the landlord of our apartment building) asked us how we were doing. I then got the brilliant idea to get Wesley to the doctor! I told her about Wesley and she told me that she knew an English speaking doctor and that she would help my mom set up an appointment. So, Wesley was sent to the doctor, and our amazing neighbor went to Baskin-Robbins and got us ice cream!

Wesley had petechiae on his feet (burst blood vessels underneath the skin), and his urine specimen had protein in it, so he would have to go to the hospital and get blood tests the next day, which he did. We didn't know he'd have to stay there. but Dad texted my mom and said that he would have to stay, and that he needed to go to work, and that Wes needed a parent there at all times, so Mom would have to take care of him while I took care of Justin. I still have no idea what was actually wrong with Wesley. I heard a lot of different things: colitis, E-Coli (that was just weird), some kind of bacterial streptococcal infection, dehydration, and some kind of virus caused by not washing hands/bad swimming pools which includes all symptoms listed above. he was hooked up to an IV to get the nutrients inside him, because he couldn't keep anything down. he also had a really high fever.

Justin and I never had the guts to come and visit him because hospitals scare the crap out of me! but over the course of 5 days, he has been able to eat rice and keep it down, the petechiae went away, and his fever is gone! he was supposed to come home yesterday, but the Japanese are very overprotective in their hospitals, so they wouldn't release him. but he's on his way home today!!! we are so excited and can't wait for him to get back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh, and a massive thank you to all of you who prayed for us and gave your support! I love you all! :) xx

the wonder of an old picture.

these words are probably coming to your mind as you look at this glorious old picture. awkward. disturbing. losers. bad lighting. Miriam's duck lips. Raquel being so tall that Miriam can't reach any part of her body, so she ends up kissing the ear instead.  BFFUWG (Best Friends Forever Until We're Grannies) night out. Raquel looking normal and not at all creeped out. Miriam looking drunk. Raquel looking pretty as always. Miriam wearing those same earrings she wears in like every single picture. 


Raquel and I took this picture about a week before I left to Japan. and I went a little crazy, as I do everytime I hang out with Raquel. we'd laugh, tell secrets about everything, pig out, talk for hours, have little music sharing sessions (which Raquel is so hipster in that she doesn't want me to steal her favorite song because she liked it before it was cool, which defeats the purpose of music-sharing-sessions, but oh well, it's still fun), fangirl over One Direction, serenade Roger the Pole, listen to my brother's wild stories, watch Justin's performances, and just be all obnoxious. Now, all we do is Facebook, iMessage, and FaceTime and watch Justin do more performances and listen to Wesley talk about his toes. Oh, how I miss this girl! We have made so many memories together. you will always be the Harry to my Louis!

oh, and her birthday is August 4th. So, could you guys all go and follow her blog here, which is private. Raquel, turn your blog unprivate because everyone wants to see your lovely adventures and your gorgeous face! I hope your day is the greatest, and I love you sooooooooooooo much! and sorry for that humiliating picture!

shot me outta the sky.

If we could only have this life for one more day, 
if we could only turn back time,
You know I'll be your life, your voice, your reason to be
My love, my heart is breathing for this
Moment in time, I'll find the words to say
Before you leave me today.
-moments by One Direction

2 years ago today, one of the best things ever happened in my life. at the time, I didn't even know that this day would be significant. but today marks the 2 year anniversary of One Direction coming together as a group. and let me just say, I try not to get so obsessed over things like this. but 4 months ago, today, I first heard What Makes You Beautiful and I decided that I really liked that song. then I saw their faces, and, well, it shot me outta the sky. for those of you who didn't know, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson all auditioned for the X-Factor UK as solo artists. they didn't make the "boys" category, so Simon Cowell decided to put the 5 boys together as a group. from then, they have been heading in one direction- to fame, to success, to the top of the charts. Simon picked the right boys. not only do all 5 boys have incredible individual voices, but when they sing together, it shot me outta the sky. and they are all very inspirational and good people. and all 5 of them are extremely good looking. like, seriously! the way that they flip their hair leaves me overwhelmed. if you want to leave because of my annoying fangirling, you can leave now. but as you all know, I can't live without music. I have to listen to it everyday. and I have favorite artists, which change periodically. my favorite songs change every 5 minutes. but for the past 4 months, it's always been something by One Direction. all their songs are catchy, have good messages, and can actually sing. so, to celebrate today, we all watched A Year In The Making, played Phase 10 and listened to the whole Up All Night album on replay, had a little dance party, and kind of reflected on what my life has been like ever since I discovered them. and let me tell you, this has to have been my greatest discovery yet.

and for those of you again who are sick of my fangirling, I also found some other music obsessions. here's a few of my favorite songs that aren't by 1D.

Wings- Little Mix. another British group that came from the X-Factor. I guess I should move to England and watch X-Factor, because that's where all the good artists are coming from! this is a really cute song, and if you enjoy it, look up the acoustic version as well.

Ed Sheeran- also from England! he is just an incredible songwriter with an amazing voice to match. (he actually wrote "Moments" by One Direction.) these 2 songs, Drunk and Lego House are my favorites.

Cher Lloyd- Want U Back. I admit, this song bugged the crap out of me when I first heard it. but then it grew on me, and it's really catchy! she is super pretty, and she's also from England! in fact, she and One Direction were on the same X-Factor season!

We Cry- The Script. I've been a fan of The Script for a long time, but this is my favorite one of theirs, which isn't as popular as their other songs. and no, they are not from England, they are from Ireland!

Your Song- Ellie Goulding. this isn't originally by her (it's by Elton John), but I really like her version. I also like "Lights" by her, which you've probably heard. and yes, she is from England! I don't know what it is with me and British music. but I'm serious. my favorite artists- One Direction, Adele, Coldplay, The Beatles, Queen, Mumford & Sons, all those artists listed above (except for The Script, but they are Irish, and 1/5 of One Direction is Irish, which happens to be Niall Horan, whom also happens to be my favorite along with Liam, and I know I shouldn't pick favorites, but I kinda did, but I still love the other boys as well), are all British! well, I gotta go to bed and fangirl some more. enjoy the tunes.

phineas and ferb

there are 3 kinds of days here in Japan: 1 is really busy, going on adventures, no time for anything. 2 is busy, but laid back throughout the whole day. and 3, which I am experiencing right now, is there's nothing to do here and I'm bored out of my mind. yep. believe it or not, it does happen. and it's a lot worse than you imagine. 1 girl, 2 boys, and 1 adult cooped up in a 1 bedroom apartment, with 1 bathroom, a living room, a teeny kitchen with no food, a computer, and an iPad and my iPod that I won't let anyone touch. no TV. no books. (the kindle doesn't count! there's nothing I want to read on that thing!) no friends for any of us. don't want to learn Japanese. that's pretty much all we got. and a few board games, but my ADD self can't sit still and play board games all day.

and all my brothers do all day is watch Phineas and Ferb on the iPad, which I love. (most of the time. sometimes, I can only watch a few episodes and I'm done.) But I just don't get how they never get bored. they're spending their whole summer building these contraptions, every day it's something different. even Perry the Platypus has a life, stopping Dr. Doofenshmirtz from his evil schemes. I wish that summer was really like that. something new and exciting everyday. which sometimes, it is. it's just these lazy boring days that are bugging me. and another big inconvenience- our TV only has a VCR and Japanese channels. for movies, we have to use our laptop or the iPad. and the worst? I'm missing an entire season of So You Think You Can Dance! i have to watch it every single summer. and I heard there's 2 ballroom girls from Utah, and one is from Provo, and I sort of know her sister. why was it this year that I had to miss it?

well, I figure this is boring you to death. I'll post pictures of my brothers holding chickens and petting goats. (I am a brilliant photographer. Plus I'm chicken and I'm just a bit...uneasy around animals. I can't stand rabbits and hamsters and rodents and things like that. That's one reason why we only have betta fish!)

 dead moose from some science museum

2 months.

today marks the 2 month anniversiary of being in Tokyo. I can't believe it myself. 2 months ago, I got dragged out of bed and ate my last piece of apple strudel toast from Costco (first thing I'm eatin when I come back!) 2 months ago, I packed my suitcase and my backpack with what would be my life for the next 4 months. 2 months ago, I hopped in the car (I promised my parents I wouldn't cry if they would let me bring Up All Night by One Direction in the car, which worked), and drove to the Salt Lake airport. 2 months ago, I boarded that airplane, saying goodbye to everything I knew. That plane landed in a foreign place, and I stepped off, hopelessly confused. Stepped onto the train, and later the subway, again, hopelessly confused. Got lost in the station. Climbed the stairs of death. Dragged my luggage up the hill of death to our teeny apartment that is my temporary home.

through all the culture shock, the homesickness, the tears, the change, the struggles, the lack of independence, the moments when you just want to scream and give up and go back on that airplane, the loneliness, to think that I've survived all this is a miracle. and I'm still struggling. but so much has changed. I've grown closer to my brothers. I've tried new foods. I ate an entire meal with chopsticks! (I'd rather use spoons.) I've learned how to count and ask where the bathroom is and get on the subway and go to the store and........basically, to adapt. there's only 2 more months to go, and I know I'll be able to manage. so.....................yeah.

It's scary to say I've changed. I hate change, and I'm not known for coping well with it. I also hate changing myself. I don't like being told what to do, how to act, how to dress, and most of all, who to be. I'm Miriam Castle. I don't care what anyone thinks or what they say. I've always just lived my own life, carefree, the way that I want. but here in Japan, I have so many restrictions because I'm still not familiar with the language. and my dad has been telling me not to "live life for the moment, because everything else is uncertain." (favorite Louis Tomlinson quote in the world. I live by it) and not to burst out into random singing and not to live out loud. well, that makes me a freaking nobody. he wants me to go along with the Japanese way of living, quiet, under the radar, blending in, not being noticed, and being polite. well, I'm sorry, but I don't live like that. it's, well, boring. but I've toned myself down a bit, just so I don't scare away the Japanese people. so don't worry. I'm not going to come back and lose myself! but yeah. I've changed. just a little

"Changing is for weirdos."
-Niall Horan

When someone says you've changed, it simply means you've stopped living life their way.
-random pinterest quote

"Who could say that I have changed for the better, because I knew you, I have been changed for good."
For Good from Wicked.

I honestly don't know which change quote suits me at the moment. probably Niall's. it's weird, how there's so many different aspects of change. well, I am hungry. and there's no food in the house. and it's raining. have a legit day.