Naked Bath Parties

Hey everyone, Sorry for not blogging lately but we just got internet today so now we will blog more often with less long blogs.

We had our first days of school last week! Things went well but we only introduced ourselves so no biggy. The students are very nervous to speak english so they don't speak much. Our challenge will be to get them comfortable instead of teaching them english!! We also are helping Haruna with the english club. Just tonight we had a party at our apartment with the five girls in english club and Haruna and Ako. It was really fun!! They showed us how to make curry and rice, and we taught them cool music like N'sync and Hanson. We hope to cook them an American casserole in the future. Angie is also helping with the Cheerleading club and is very, very excited!!

(notice how everyone is doing the peace sign!! very cool in Japan!!!)

Haruna and Seth (her american husband!) took us to a hot spring, which is really a public bath. Yes, you bath with strangers and yeah we hang out with our coworkers naked. But!, the bath we went to is seperated by sex. However, there are coed baths...not for us!! They are really nice though and are very popular in Japan. It really isn't as awkward as it seems once you are there!



Today we got a visit from an unlikely stranger...can you guess...they come to your door and may try to entice you with pamphlets so they can go to heaven...Yep!! The Japanese Jehovah's Witness!! Angie was home alone but Travis came home just in time to "witness" the event. He didn't speak much english unfortunately and we didn't get any pamphlets!--boo! Also, there can be seen wandering the streets Mormons and they also go to the Japanese class we go to!! Looks like we got some competition here as well :)

We are really beginning to enjoy our new home. Life here isn't so bad once you tone out the mumbling of japanese you can't understand and find some food to eat (for lunch today we had pancakes and rice with sugar on top! and once we burnt a pizza in our mini oven fueled by kerosene). It is definitely not boring iowa with corn fields forever. We have a volcano to wake up to every morning. It is HUGE!! and very cool. someday we are going to climb it hopefully this summer!

Mmmmm, burnt pizza!!

Can you see our oven, yeah i can't either!!

Here are some more "fun" things we are getting used to!

• You get gifts for everything! When we signed up for our bank accounts the bank gave us gifts. Travis got dish soap and Angie got some food wrap and a magnetic pen/pad set :)


• People talk to each other according to gender. Males talk to males and females talk to females. It is very funny and can sometimes be awkward!

• When the Japanese people want to tell you not to do something they will often tell you that you "won't be popular" if you do it, rather than just saying, hey you shouldn't do that.

• You can buy beer and cigarettes in vendy machines! How convenient :)

• Everything in Japan comes in mini-sizes, mini cars, mini ice cream cones, you name it, they have it in a mini size!!

Well that is all for now, we will post soon! Please keep us up to date on what is going on in your lives! We love you and miss you!