The second exam of the term is coming up Thursday, (which I am apprehensive about) with our second field trip, this time to Nara, coming up on Friday (which I am looking forward to). Of course since we don't have enough to do already, there's also a kanji test on Wednesday… I really need a nap.

If there is one downside to the home stay, it's that I lose about two hours a day to commute. One hour altogether for the train ride each way, plus an hour for the various distances I have to bike. At least I'm getting a lot of exercise, and I use the train time for studying, but still, it feels that every now and then I just don't have any time (well that and the fact that the only time I really have internet access is in the afternoon when I'm at the Center, but all things together that's a really small price to pay).

Tomorrow, being Tuesday, instead of a fourth class we our Japanese culture hour. This time it's playing the koto (kind of like a harpsichord). I won't forget to report on it this time, because I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it very much (sometimes I really regret giving up the violin).

An interesting item of note. Especially at the start of my home stay, I heard the name Alex a lot. As I've previously mentioned, my family has hosted students previously, three in fact. A German girl who's name I've never heard, Alex, and Mark (the moron who went to Kyoto). Alex apparently was the reason that after the 'Mark Incident' (actually the only time I've heard his name is in relation to retellings of that episode, apparently for his painful lack of consideration his name has become verboten around here), did not completely sour my family to the home stay program. In relation to myself, I think his name was used in context of why I was here (after the first few days, I haven't heard his name anywhere near as much), and hopefully as a favorable comparison.

Here's the picture of my new shirt.

(I only hope that when I get back, I'm not going to be subjected to a bevy of t-shirts with monkeys on them). I still maintain my stance that I simply don't care for logos on my clothing. There's just something about 'Gorilla' that I like (mayhap it was the tag that said the Gorilla line was found by an American named Henly, who felt the need to make products that were 'mush durable').