The morning of Christmas Eve was spent in one of my favorite lazy day routines: sleeping in and waking up to a bowl of Blueberry Muffin Tops cereal, while watching episodes of Friends (in Japanese this time!). Ryota knew exactly what makes me happiest = )
After breakfast, he and I drove into Sendai city. We talked and talked on the car ride there, listening to music and laughing at how strange it felt to have the roles reversed this time- he the host, driving me around, and I the exchange student. Once we reached the city I took him out to a fun lunch of mixed rice and cow tongue (not quite like the Scandinavian feast that my grandma makes each year out in tiny Hector, MN, but it was nice to be with family of a different sort). I also managed to find a couple cans of A&W Rootbeer just like out at the farm. Ryota’s a big fan (which is surprising because most Japanese people think it tastes like their kind of cough medicine- vis-à-vis they hate it) and so we drank to a happy holiday. The afternoon was spent merely walking the city, shopping for odds and ends, people watching and enjoying the over-the-top Christmas decorations all around the city. Before I knew it we were hopping back in the car and on our way home.
There weren’t any churches in Ryota’s area, so instead of the annual Christmas Eve service where the Beske Clan swarms the front pews of the tiny Hector United Methodist Church, I said a little prayer, hummed Silent Night, and thanked God that I had a family to be thankful for, even if we were on opposite sides of the globe.
I am pleased to report that although I couldn’t find Grandma’s Lutefisk (the Jello-y, lye-scented, Scandinavian cod fish that our very own Norwegian relative termed as “not to be eaten by humans!”) I did enjoy a great sushi buffet instead. Ryota, his mom, dad, and I went out to a restaurant appropriately named “Stamina” because it is an all you can eat Japanese buffet. We ate, laughed, and relaxed throughout the evening, even going to see a large ship that is famous to Ishinomaki. It was actually used two or three hundred years ago to sail all the way from Japan to Italy and back. Now it is lit up every year and as Christmas Eve is considered one of Japan’s most romantic evenings, the park was crowded with wondering couples, holding hands and trying to stay warm in the cold wind coming off of the Pacific to the east. By the time we were back home one of Ryota’s sisters arrived bearing cakes and breads from her job as a pastry chef at a Sendai hotel. This was the first time I’d really met her, but in true Kimura Family fashion she immediately give me a big smile and we hit it off right away. What an enjoyable, yet different, Christmas Eve it was.
Now as for today, Jan. 3rd, I have done hardly anything all day. This morning I had the pleasure of Skyping the entire Grand Theater, filled with Rotary Exchange enthusiasts. I only spoke for a moment or two, but it was nice to know there were so many people come out to see all of Vicki Dilley’s hard work. She does such a great job. The rest of the afternoon I went to see Miki’s brother play tennis; he was ranked #1 in Northern Tochigi all throughout high school, so he’s quite good. Miki of course reminded me that she was also #1 for hammer toss, and actually should be considered better than him because she got 7th in all of Japan. Haha oh Miki. This evening I am going over to their house for dinner and to play cards with all their relatives. It’s certain to be another hilarious night.
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