Hisashiburi!/久しぶり！

It's been forever since a full post. So, on with a recap.

Winter break:
-Went to Tokyo with Anneli, met up with Max and Heather for para para events
-Went with Hiro, Phil and Sami on a bus tour of Hokkaido. We went through Hakodate, Sapporo, Asahiyama and Otaru, relaxed at hotels with onsen, saw fireworks for Chinese New Year and of course saw the Snow Festival and Penguin Sanpo.

Winter classes:
-Japanese was hard! I can't say I absorbed much of the grammar as most of it was academic grammar that's hard to get without using it much. We're using it all a lot now so it's okay.
-Kanji was okay. Conversation was helpful as we're using a text with real situations, casual and formal both.
-I also took Introductory Korean, even though I didn't go on the field work to Korea. We had it with Prof. Um and went over it all in a week. So much fun!

Spring Break:
-Made sure to go to Neo and TH Euro!
-Traveled with Mom from the 16th of March to the 25th. We stayed in Kobe, Kyoto, Tokyo, Kobe and Osaka in that order. More in detail soon. (I have so much to cover...)
-Day trip with Evan to Nara. We saw deer (Shika-san), Todaiji Temple with the huge Buddha and Ireland. More on Ireland in a moment.
-Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, at Shukugawa! This was really fun. Nothing like chugging a chuhai in the daytime, getting tipsy and eating junk food all day with friends.

Spring Classes:
-I'm in Level 4 Japanese, Level 3 Kanji and Beginner Korean. Korean only has 4 people so it's really really relaxed. As for culture, I'm taking Japanese Novels, Society, Language & Culture, Foreign Relations of Japan and Japanese Usage. Usage is a really useful class preparing us for the 2nd level of the JLTP, or the Japanese Language Placement Test.
-The weather is warmer. Sadly, I caught a cold and did not go to Neo tonight. I think it was my birthday call, where they make you do shots and such. No clue.

Lastly, I am now 21 and I can legally drink in America! I was serenaded at midnight by Okaa-san, Yuki and Ryouma, had dinner with my host family and Evan and had an all night with friends. Thank you if you're one of them.

Lastly, some pictures.