Hello again! I'm sitting here in my apartment preparing to head Hakuba 47 and Goryu mountain. I have once again been subject to some fantastic generosity at the hands of my friends here. I came to Japan in July, and when I packed I had no idea that I would eventually be going snowboarding here. That might have something to do with the fact that in July, it seemed like December was so far away that packing for it would have felt like time traveling. However, December actually showed up and now it is almost over. Time is flying. All of you who said it would can now have a good long, 'I told you so!' session at my expense.
Anyway, back to my friends' generosity. Like I said, when I came to Japan it was hot. Needless to say I didn't pack any winter gear. So when the opportunity to head to Nagano to hit the slopes with my friends came up, I wanted to jump on the chance. I hesitated to say yes though, due mostly to the aforementioned lack of winter clothing. That is where the generosity part comes in. As soon as I mentioned the problem to my friends, I found myself knee deep in gear. Sitting here in my room, I have two snowboards, three pair of snow pants, goggles, jackets, hats and gloves. My friends are awesome! My wonderful friend Etsuko is probably sitting on top of the generosity pack these days. She is the one who set up this whole shindig. When our friend who was supplying the car backed out, she figured out how to get to Nagano without a car and booked us tickets on the night bus. So, now I am waiting 'til 9:00 pm rolls around so I can head to the train station and catch my bus! We will get into Hakuba sometime tomorrow morning.
In other exciting news, I have been thoroughly enjoying my spare time on holiday here. John and Sarah are off adventuring, and I thought I was going to be sitting here all alone. That has not been the case though. I have so far successfully managed to wedge myself into almost all of my friends' holiday plans :). On the 27th, my friend Jon threw a Christmas dinner party at his house. I got to help cook! Jon made a delicious stuffed ham, freshly baked bread, and soup, and Machiko again supplied the pie. Did I mention we also all supplied the wine? Something like 5 bottles for the 6 of us. I love wine!
I have also latched onto a few after Christmas plans of my friends'. I saw a few movies, most notably the newest Mission Impossible movie. Ghost Protocol? Terrible name. Highly entertaining movie though! Despite all of this, I think the best part (besides Jon's dinner) of this whole holiday has been the fact that excluding today, I haven't woken up before noon. I love vacations! Who needs to travel when I can sleep for 12 hours a day?
Anyway, wish me luck on the slopes! I'm going to need it after two years lack of practice.
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