No pictures or videos today. I am quite in a rush now, cause tomorrow we will head out to Hiroshima for the final week of the WCI program!
It is 1 o'clock in the night, and I still have to pack! AAAAAAAAAAARGH!
Today we went to the vulcano called mount Aso (HAHAHHA!). We saw a lot of nature and stuff. BE-A-U-TIFUL!
So I hope I have internet in Hiroshima. If not, I dunno... I will update my blog as soon as I can!
Later!
maandag 24 augustus 2009
zondag 23 augustus 2009
Relaxed!
A very good afternoon to you! This day was sooo relaxed! Today was host family day. Together with Hiroshi-san, Hiromi-san, Tomo-kun and Raymon, I went to the mountains, high in the sky. I woke up with Zuxin singing Love me Tender of Elvis. How? Hiroshi-san was recording the Arigatou Evento from yesterday on DVD. I heard her singing with Tetsutarou on the saxophone. Then I heard Takashi on the shamisen and my own beatbox... I thought it was a nice dream, but it was the DVD. So the day started great!
And it only went better. We left the house, way to late, hopped in the car and started the 1 and an half hour of driving to the mountains. When we got there, we immediately started fishing. Hiroshi-san gave us all a fishing rod made of bamboo. Well actually, it was a piece of bamboo with a string attached to it. Ray joked around and started fishing in the fishing pond without any bait. Ten seconds later he got a fish, without bait! Unbelievable it was. The funny part is that he did the same thing 3 times over again; he caught 4 fishes without any bait... Or the fishes were really stupid or really hungry. I caught 3 fishes, 1 without bait. Stupid fish.
Ray and fishies!
Fishies!
Tomo-kun and Hiroshi-san with the fishies!
We handed our fish over to this guy who was going to cook the fishes for us. With our fishes dropped of, we had 1 hour of free time. We went to the river, which was pure mountain water, to swim and play and stuff. The water was ice cold! But when we all got used to the water temperature, the fun began. We joked around, had a lot of fun. The ground was only rocks and I wore flip flops, which means that I lost my flip flops (slippers) several times due to the streaming and hurted my toes many times.
Yeah!
Before
After
Tomo-kun looking for anything that lives in the river
Jump!
What did Ray's face say to the water surface? SMACK!!
Around five o'clock we left the park and went to a onsen, a Japanese hot spring. Again, I was naked. Just like at the airport and in Nagasaki with the Hofnar and the Schoen. Only this time with Hiroshi-san, Tomo-kun and Ray Ray. After relaxing time in the hot spring we ate dinner. The restaurants system is called 'biking' in Japanese, which means that you reserve a table for one hour. And then you can eat as much as you want in that hour! Second time this day I gained some pounds...
Random picture. Don't ask
Then we headed home, with Tomo-kun knocked out in the car, Arigatou Evento cd playing, Ray knocked out with a full stomach and me energetic asking questions to Hiromi-san and Hiroshi-san about the Japanese language. An awesome day, in a relaxed way! 凄く楽しかった！
And it only went better. We left the house, way to late, hopped in the car and started the 1 and an half hour of driving to the mountains. When we got there, we immediately started fishing. Hiroshi-san gave us all a fishing rod made of bamboo. Well actually, it was a piece of bamboo with a string attached to it. Ray joked around and started fishing in the fishing pond without any bait. Ten seconds later he got a fish, without bait! Unbelievable it was. The funny part is that he did the same thing 3 times over again; he caught 4 fishes without any bait... Or the fishes were really stupid or really hungry. I caught 3 fishes, 1 without bait. Stupid fish.
Ray and fishies!
Fishies!
Tomo-kun and Hiroshi-san with the fishies!
We handed our fish over to this guy who was going to cook the fishes for us. With our fishes dropped of, we had 1 hour of free time. We went to the river, which was pure mountain water, to swim and play and stuff. The water was ice cold! But when we all got used to the water temperature, the fun began. We joked around, had a lot of fun. The ground was only rocks and I wore flip flops, which means that I lost my flip flops (slippers) several times due to the streaming and hurted my toes many times.
Yeah!
After a refreshing time in the river, we went back to the restaurant and ate our fish.
Before
After
The fish was delicious. Hiromi-san brought also home made onigiri, raisin bread and other snacks. I think I gained some pounds today. With the fishes in our stomach, we headed out again to play in the ice cold mountain water. Ray and I dive bombed several times from cliffs into the water, we swam a little and went on a natural (!) water glide (glijbaan).
Tomo-kun looking for anything that lives in the river
Jump!
Jump Ray!!
What did Ray's face say to the water surface? SMACK!!
Around five o'clock we left the park and went to a onsen, a Japanese hot spring. Again, I was naked. Just like at the airport and in Nagasaki with the Hofnar and the Schoen. Only this time with Hiroshi-san, Tomo-kun and Ray Ray. After relaxing time in the hot spring we ate dinner. The restaurants system is called 'biking' in Japanese, which means that you reserve a table for one hour. And then you can eat as much as you want in that hour! Second time this day I gained some pounds...
Random picture. Don't ask
Then we headed home, with Tomo-kun knocked out in the car, Arigatou Evento cd playing, Ray knocked out with a full stomach and me energetic asking questions to Hiromi-san and Hiroshi-san about the Japanese language. An awesome day, in a relaxed way! 凄く楽しかった！
zaterdag 22 augustus 2009
2 days of YEAH: Manda Mine and Arigatou Evento in Arao!
Okay, first of all, check my previous blog for the crazy pictures and videos of Greenland and the Arigatou Evento preps!
So hey, how you doin'? We started yesterday with a lot of talking. About religion, the mine (later on more) and my personal story. Yes, yesterday it was my turn to tell the WCI members about my story, the events in my life that made me what I am now. So that was interesting.
After the talking part, we went to an old mine in Arao City. This mine is about 500 years old. So we had an old energetic man who was retired a long time ago as mineworker, who guided us through the complex and told us stories about the labor conditions and the culture during his working period in the mine.
This story impacted me. And I used this impact in the workshop we had after the tour. The people of the Manda Mine (name of the mine in Arao) would like to have this Manda Mine a World Heritage. An example of World Heritage in the Netherlands would be the Woudagemaal in Friesland. A World Heritage is a place or landscape that is significant for human or earth history. In this workshop, the WCI members were splitted into 4 groups and each group had to think of a strategy how to promote the Manda Mine for acquiring the title of World Heritage. There were people of the World Heritage Foundation and people of the Manda Mine present to help us with this workshop. Really interesting workshop. Too bad most of the WCI members were tired from the whole week.
The Manda Mine
The Manda Mine Promotion Workshop
Me and Gaby were interviewed for local television! We were asked about our opinion of the Manda Mine's status and the Kumamoto prefecture.
Arigatou Evento; silence before the storm? Call it tornado before the storm, 'cause we practiced our butts off today!!
Tomo-kun imitating a duck, with 2 potato chips. He failed.
So hey, how you doin'? We started yesterday with a lot of talking. About religion, the mine (later on more) and my personal story. Yes, yesterday it was my turn to tell the WCI members about my story, the events in my life that made me what I am now. So that was interesting.
After the talking part, we went to an old mine in Arao City. This mine is about 500 years old. So we had an old energetic man who was retired a long time ago as mineworker, who guided us through the complex and told us stories about the labor conditions and the culture during his working period in the mine.
This story impacted me. And I used this impact in the workshop we had after the tour. The people of the Manda Mine (name of the mine in Arao) would like to have this Manda Mine a World Heritage. An example of World Heritage in the Netherlands would be the Woudagemaal in Friesland. A World Heritage is a place or landscape that is significant for human or earth history. In this workshop, the WCI members were splitted into 4 groups and each group had to think of a strategy how to promote the Manda Mine for acquiring the title of World Heritage. There were people of the World Heritage Foundation and people of the Manda Mine present to help us with this workshop. Really interesting workshop. Too bad most of the WCI members were tired from the whole week.
The Manda Mine
The Manda Mine Promotion Workshop
Me and Gaby were interviewed for local television! We were asked about our opinion of the Manda Mine's status and the Kumamoto prefecture.
Today was Arigatou Evento in Arao! We practiced the whole day and finally we gave away an excellent Arigatou Evento to the host families and everyone who made this stay in Arao City possible. It was the last Arigatou Evento of Liz, who participated the first and second session with me, but goes back to Canada at the end of this week. Also of Raymon, but he will go to Hiroshima with us, and Choi (Korea), Nao (Japan) and Birchu (Turkey). To bad the last three ones only joined us for a week. That is way to short. The whole program is to short, but a week is like a second in a hour.
Tomorrow is host family day! Hiroshi-san, Hitomi-san, Tomo-kun, Ray and I will go to the mountains, fish together, swim in the river with natural water from the mountain, eat the fish we will catch and go to a Japanese bathing house. YEAH!! Smell ya later!
Arigatou Evento; silence before the storm? Call it tornado before the storm, 'cause we practiced our butts off today!!
Jake imitating a host mom being interviewed. I laughed so hard, that tears rolled over my cheeks
Had a great time today, here I am laughing at one of the many jokes...
Actually THIS is the silence before the storm. I do not have pictures of the event itself. Yet.
America and the Netherlands: never so close before
America and the Netherlands: never so close before
Tomo-kun imitating a duck, with 2 potato chips. He failed.
SMAP!
donderdag 20 augustus 2009
GREENLAND!! WOOOH! and Arigatou Evento practice...
So whassuup!! Yesterday I stood up 7 o'clock and ran with Raymon 10 kilometers; to the sea and back. The Japanese sea is beautiful. No one was there, because it was so early in the morning. By the way, Ray and I try to run every day and do exercises to keep our body fit and clean. Yeah.
After that we went to a themepark in Arao, called Green Land! Don't ask me about the name, but it is an awesome place! We went with a big group of WCI members. Yesterday was awezmazing! Today we went to play games with schoolkids, elementary school first class. Was fun. Then we ate at a fancy restaurant. The fancy restaurant donated, kind of, the meal to the WCI. After that, Arigatou Evento practice! The event will be Saturday, so we have still time to practice with the new group.
After that we went to Grandma's house (the mother of Hiroshi-san), we had dinner there (still have a stomach ache, cause I ate to much) and then I did Japanese calligraphy with Hiromi-san for 2 hours. When I finished my last kanji, I went to Ray to show him my kanji. I looked at him and I knew something was wrong. And there was something wrong. His best friend just passed away in America. So he is emotional today. So am I. I don't feel like writing my blog. Or adding photo's. I will post the pictures of today and yesterday probably tomorrow. I am sorry. I am going to support Ray. Later.
Btw. Radha mausi, ik vind het echt tof dat u elke keer mijn blog leest! Enne wie is een lekker ding? Wees specifieker!! Doe iedereen de groeten!
Wednesday! Running to the Arao Seashore with Ray 6.30 am
Breakfast: pancakes with Canadian Maple Syrup, ohw yeah!
I love Ultraman!
Solid Snake Style!
Thursday: Kids games!
After that we went to a themepark in Arao, called Green Land! Don't ask me about the name, but it is an awesome place! We went with a big group of WCI members. Yesterday was awezmazing! Today we went to play games with schoolkids, elementary school first class. Was fun. Then we ate at a fancy restaurant. The fancy restaurant donated, kind of, the meal to the WCI. After that, Arigatou Evento practice! The event will be Saturday, so we have still time to practice with the new group.
After that we went to Grandma's house (the mother of Hiroshi-san), we had dinner there (still have a stomach ache, cause I ate to much) and then I did Japanese calligraphy with Hiromi-san for 2 hours. When I finished my last kanji, I went to Ray to show him my kanji. I looked at him and I knew something was wrong. And there was something wrong. His best friend just passed away in America. So he is emotional today. So am I. I don't feel like writing my blog. Or adding photo's. I will post the pictures of today and yesterday probably tomorrow. I am sorry. I am going to support Ray. Later.
Btw. Radha mausi, ik vind het echt tof dat u elke keer mijn blog leest! Enne wie is een lekker ding? Wees specifieker!! Doe iedereen de groeten!
###UPDATE!###
###VIDEOS AND PHOTOS!###
Wednesday! Running to the Arao Seashore with Ray 6.30 am
Breakfast: pancakes with Canadian Maple Syrup, ohw yeah!
Still Wednesday! Greenland!
I love Ultraman!
It is a Dinosaur Rollercoaster... AWESOMO!
We ALL love Ultraman! From left to right upper row: Nozomi (Japan), me (Holland), Synnove (Norway), Zuxin (China), Nao (Japan) and Choi (Korea)
Middle row; Birchu (Turkey), Asuka (Japan), Cherylin (Myanmar), Raymon (United States), Risa (Japan), Yuri (Japan)
Lower row; Tetsutarou (Japan) and Liz (Canada)
Solid Snake Style!
Haven't put the pedal to the metal for a looong time... So I enjoyed the karts!
During a 3d movie about ponies and dolphins in the clouds. I was the only one interested....
If I would describe Ray with a picture, this will be it. Yup, this is Raymon from the US alright!
KA~ME~HA~ME~~~HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Thursday: Kids games!
Lunch at Cloud Restaurant!
And Arigatou Evento Practice with a full stomach...
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