"Did you go to that AIKOM Party?" "...Which one?"

Against all reason (considering the Japanese speech the next day), I agreed without hesitation to a nabe party this Thursday with a few AIKOMsei and Hana. I had just been thinking earlier today that I hadn't seen Hana in a while, and then, bam. There's no way I could say no. Should be great!

Some AIKOM friends are taking a day trip to Enoshima this weekend, but I can't go. But, that's because it's the same day as the Chabashira Christmas party, which I'm looking forward to. +D
...And I think I'll take a trip to Enoshima some time during the 2-week break, to make up for it, anyway. XD+

Classes end (with a bang in the form of an exam) on the afternoon of Tuesday the 22nd, a week from today.

Not yet completely sure what I'm doing on Christmas, but it will probably involve going to see Christmas lights and eating chicken with AIKOMsei and maybe some others who have no other plans. <#

The 27th is the Chabashira Bounenkai (end of the year party), which will, of course, be my first bounenkai (though I don't know how different it really is from a new year's party in the US XD).

The 28th-29th I'll be going with Joon Woo, Alden, Sarah, Wu Di, Chen Ken and Yang Rei to the touristy area near Mt. Fuji. I've yet to even see Mt. Fuji from a great distance, so I'm excited about just that. XD We'll stay overnight in a hotel/onsen resort near one of the five large lakes there, and tour around the town and maybe part of a tour of part of the famous forest there ("Sea of Trees"). Fff, awesome. First overnight travel~

In Japan, one officially comes of age and becomes an adult at age 20. But, the way it works, traditionally, is that you count your age on the new year. So, everyone who turned 20 this year (which includes many friends of mine here) has lots of special parties this time of the year, and then a special holiday, 成人の日 (Coming of Age Day) on the second Monday of the new year (the 11th of January, this time) for them... Of course, I turned 20 this year, but there's none of that for me, which I found a little sad. But yesterday I got an envelope from Mitaka City (where I live) congratulating me on my coming of age this year, and inviting me, as a resident of the city who turned 20 in the last lunar year, to participate in a ceremony on Coming of Age Day. Which I thought was really nice. Not sure if I'll go yet (maybe if I can get Miwa to come as my interpreter...?).


In the meantime, for this week, one paper down, two to go (both tomorrow - shouldn't be too hard) and another Japanese speech... Oh, TouDai.