nothing to prove

sad but true

After being sick again all week long, I welcomed the chance to spend the last long weekend with my homestay. Sadly I missed work all week because of a fever and not being able to get out of bed. Luckily, after a couple trips to the doctor, I was better by Friday and was able to head down to Shiozawa. When I arrived the mom was extremely worried about how thin I looked, rightfully so since I didn't eat for a couple days when I was sick, so I got fed immediately. Somehow in the past year things have gotten comfortable enough at my homestay that they actually stop feeding me when I am full. Anyway, it was early to bed the first night to make sure that I was well for the rest of the weekend.


That whole weekend was actually the Shiozawa matsuri (festival) so on Saturday I got dressed up in a jinbei (traditional Japanese clothes for men) and we headed to the festival. Basically we just wandered the streets randomly eating food from the vendors as we went. Eventually there was a short parade before we went back home. Later that evening we just laid around eating and watching TV. It was nice to relax before the chaos of my final week in Japan ensued.


Sunday we took their little neighbor, named Hina, to a shopping mall in a nearby town. It had been raining most of the weekend, that day being no exception, so it was nice to get out of the house for a bit. In the evening Asuka, Natsumi, and I went to watch the local fireworks. After trying out a few different locations, we finally found a spot extremely close to the action. The rain also subsided enough for us to get out of the car and watch. Then it was back home for another semi-early night to bed before my last day in Shiozawa.


My final day in Shiozawa came and my homestay's cousins were coming for the afternoon. Tatsuya and Yuko are always great to see because they have been so kind to me even though I am not really their homestay. Plus their three children Kaito, Kenta, and Aika are uber cute. In between constantly playing games, the two boys run around calling me their older brother. Holding true to my typical homestay, we ate and drank the afternoon away. Sadly the day had to come to an end so we all said our goodbye's before I left on the train for Sanjo.

It is difficult for me to fathom not being able to see them for a potentially long time. One of the highlights of living in Niigata has been being so close to them. They are an amazing family and I want to keep in touch with them as much as possible. Hopefully someday I will be able to return the hospitality they have shown me during my time in Japan.

posted by Aaron @ 7:36 AM