PHOTO DUMP #1

Happy Valentines Day

"every-days the fourteenth" -andre three stacks

So the countdown is on to my departure and to say im excited would be an understatement. Ive put on about 6 pounds or so which might seem like nothing but when ur around 123 to 125 and now 130-ish it shows. Or maybe im being irrational but I feel fat so thats all that matters. I think I go fatter because I have alot of free time and am not really distracted so I eat more often? This is just a hypothesis of course lol. also theres countless number of convenient stores at every corner and sweets are so cheap ! So me and my openly-fat ass friend ( sorry Laura , to put you out there like Sato-Sensei) make trips we regret later.

Something Im looking forward to in Miami is being more busy and productive. Having a packed day and wondering around doing things ! I getting back into shape..Gym time ! I run here but loose the sprit at times and then I get bored of it... anyways Im going to do a PICTURE DUMP . And just show you some incredible things Ive experienced here.

1. I saw Mount Fuji , its astonishing . I was around REAL nature and it looked like things ive only seen in textbooks and websites but I was actually there and its breathtaking the scenery in the more rural part of the country.

2. Ive shopped , spent about $1000- in a week from the good deals , Louie Bag , BBC/Ice Cream , bape ...list goes on..

3. Ive been eating lol.

These are pictures from a field trip a few weeks back . very beautiful and amazing to think I took these pictures because i dont have a profession Cannon or anything , this is just the natural beauty of the place on my 3 year old camera ! :)

So heres pics lol

THESE EGGS ARE BOILED IN THE WATERS AROUND THE VOLCANOS IN THE MOUNTAINS , BECAUSE OF THE REACTION OF THE CHEMICALS OF THE HOT SPINGS

THEY TURN THE SHELLS BLACK . ITS SAID THAT IF YOU EAT THESE EGGS YOU LIVE 7 YEARS LONGER. I HAD ONE , IT TASTES NO DIFFERENT

WE STAYED IN HOTEL ON A FIELD TRIP WE WENT ON , THEY WEHERE TRADITIONAL ROOMS WITH FUTON WHICH ARE PLACED ON THE GROUND TO SLEEEP ON . cRAZY.

WE ALSO HAD DINNER TOGETHER AS A CLASS. IT WAS DELICIOUS.

YO IM A PRO AT THE HA-CHI ! MEANS "CHOPSTICKS" LOL

VIEW FROM WINDOW OF HOTEL ROOM

ITS COLD LOL

THIS IS A RECREATED MOUNTAIN TOWN. ROOFS ARE MADE OF THOUSANDS OF BAMBOO PLANTS BUT TOGETHER. FUKN CRAZY

PAPER MASHEA - HOWEVER U SPELL IT .. THATS MY NAME IN JAPANESE UNDER

HES DRAWING THE COUNTRY SIDE , GANGSTA !

NOW U KNOW IM A STALKER - THE WOODEN BLOCKS ARE PRAYERS IN THE SHRINES.

PUT IN A COIN AND GET YOUR FORTUNE BY THIS COOL DRAGON

WE WHERE IN A BIG COACH BUT AND AT THE REST STOP THESE KIDS WHERE NEXT TO US , IT WAS REALLY CUTE

THATS ENOUGH FOR NOW . HOPEFULLY MY PICTURES MAKE US FOR THE LACK ON CONTENT. I JUST WANT TO GO HOME :)

LUV NORMS

If At First You Dont Suceed...

Hello all .

I wanted to take some time to share with you something that touched my heart . An attempt to communicate , done perfectly and with much effort. In class I exchanged E-Mails with my friend "Dream" from China. She came here to learn Japanese and to hopefully work. In our conversations she talks of how I have made her excited to one day visit America.

Visit America ?! To think that some people ..... will never see the ground and buildings and landmarks of America ... is mind blowing. At least when its with someone I see everyday , she knows nothing of my life at home. No idea of what its like to live like an America. Shes very sweet and we communicate well as she knows some english. She usues her translating dictionary but it works out well.

So like I said we exchanged E-Mails and she E-Mailed me in broken English. It was beautiful to see her attempt in trying to communicate...

"Hello!ノルマさん

　　It is me.dream.english is too hard .I will be mad.you know I take too much time to write this short email. it is only 5 sentenses.ok ,see you tomorrow.I really want to say more to you.but my english is limited.

Have a good dream!"

NOTE : Her name is not Dream but her Chinese name is difficult , she explained one of the characters in her name is Dream so thats what I call her.

-I replied to her using an online Chinese-to-English translator and wrote how much i appreciated her and think shes so wonderful and kind. That she means a lot among other things.

She replied with the following :

"hello,my dear!

first of all,i must say sorry to you.my unty just borrow this line from her friend to open the website.let you wait for many days.i am in yokohama ,her home.ok.you are so cute.i have understanded basically what you write.your chinese and my english are same.it is funny to communicate in this way.your meaning is this-you use your translater and you hope it will be works.you also want to say more to me but it is a little hard.you care have a good friend like me.ok i mainly know your meaning.haha, me too.i am so happy to recognize you.i have not many friend ,but you are one of them.you are sexy,cute,conversaional,true.....you are really so nice.if you go back, i will miss you,and i do not know when to meet you again.if you come to japan again or go to china ,must tell me.and then we could meet.now china is develop well,you can go to play.and if i have chance to go USA.i will fing you.and then you are my

guide.haha now i use my translator while i am writing.it is same feeling when we write to each other,i guess.

ok,have a good weekend!

I thought this would be interesting to share because some of you will never meet people like this. With such a communication barrier. Its very sweet and emotional reading this . She uses strange words to describe me but you have to keep in mind that shes using a translator so whatever she means to say in Chinese probably has a different meaning....

This is all for today...

Norms

Heart of A Lion

I dread days like this . One thing this trip is if anything ... is emotionally damaging at times. There's days im really happy and others where I just feel terrible.

Being here made me realize how important communication is to a society. How we communicate to one another is how we express ourselves to others. If you dont speak someone's language you cannot express your views or opinions. Your striped of a personality because you fail to share it because your lack of common language.

I use the example of "Albert Einstein". If Albert Einstein was in Japan (and alive of course ) , and he doesn't know Japanese . Then he's nobody. He cant express this thoughts , views, theorys , or discussions. Nothing. SO he's just diminished to nothing.

Thats how I feel . In class I get so frustrated I start saying things to them in english even knowing they dont understand me . Im like , "Look I dont understand you and you dont even know what Im saying but please im sorry" , or something meaner but , its very emotional for me.

Im majoring in Journalism , so Im use to expressing myself better in words. Creating-and getting out my opinions . Using words to express appreciation and favor for something . But here , just telling my chinese friend that I appreciate her friendship is a feat in itself.

I get sad after class most times. And miss home .

Some people might think Im over exaggerating , or think "Its not that bad" . But you have no idea.

Lets say for instance I want to go out to eat for lunch. WELL everyone here speaks Japanese so unless you know how to order a medium sized bowl of beef and rice in Japanese YOUR SCREWED. Thank God for places with picture menus , because without them id be starving.

How about going out at night you ask? Clubbing? oh my friend , not so easy ! So first you gotta find the cool spots... how? You dont know anyone , OK lets test out a place , where is it at ? "Check map quest" - hey guess what map quest in Japan is IN JAPANESE , so IM SCREWED!

ok get to the club ? Guess what your the only foreigner and cant speak to anyone in there , SCREWED !!!

Hey looking for a certain food in the supermarket? Want to know how much something cost? Unless u know how to ask YOUR SCREWED! I get by in this society by reading everything I can.

WHAT I DO KNOW : is how to read Japanese , how to observe people , and copy things . So i read all prices labeled under the food and such. I watch people so I know how to act in places like restaurants and such. Even when I go shopping they say so much and im like "Yeah sure thanks " - well thats something I can say in Japanese but IT SUCKS.

SO in class there's actually a lot of cool looking and nice people. And i cant even communicate with them . And their names are too weird so I dont even bother learning their names. "SHINSHU" is an example of a name. Then the next guy is "SHINSU" its like whoa im gonna confuse that forget it.

So thats how I feel today.

its a long weekend , monday is labor day here in Japan so I have the day off from school .

Thank the lord !

So ill post tons of pix tommarow.

Have a good day , for me , please.

luv norms