"F" is for Food

The food here in Japan is AMAZING. No exaggeration. I have some of the best food of my life here. In general, Japanese food is pretty healthy and simple. It incorporates a lot of seafood, which is something I had to get used to coming from the Midwest where my idea of seafood was canned tuna. This country knows how to do veggies right, and they also excel at making delicious sweets. They fail pretty bad when it comes to Mexican food, but I am willing to forgive that so long as they keep throwing their yummy traditional food my way. I think when it comes to food, showing you all is better than telling, so here are some of the pictures I have taken of good food that I've had here so far:

The biggest Omurice ever!! Omelet rice is exactly what it sounds like: and omelet stuffed with rice! so yum.

Okonomiyaki!

This might have been the 4th meal we had in one day in Nagasaki.....

One of my favorite restaurants in Japan!

Sashimi! Raw fish, that is. So smooth and tasty.

LIVE SQUID! I just ate this today, in fact. It was still alive, as in its tentacles were moving...talk about fresh. :)

"E" is for Elementary School

Some of my most heart warming moments in Japan have happened at elementary schools. I visit 6 elementary schools, most of which are out in the countryside. Two of them are literally in the mountains so far away it takes like an hour and a half to get to them. Schools in the mountains have some unique qualities. For one, they tend to have very few students (22 kids in the entire school!). Another thing I like about them is that I have never experienced so much NATURE as when I have gone out to these schools. Once I was running up the mountain path to the playground can nearly stepped on a snake that was sunning itself. The kids were like "no big deal" so I forgot about it...but later when I was describing the snake to the teachers, they were horrified and told me that it was a poisonous viper! Whoa. The last time I saw a snake like that, I was safely on the other side of the glass in the STL Zoo.

Every time that I even think for a moment that I am tired of being an ALT, the little ones at elementary school make everything worth it again. Their smiling faces, their adorable little voices, and their determination to tell me everything about their lives despite our language barrier warm my heart every time. Plus, they are just so darn funny sometimes. I laugh all the time in class! My teacher sisters and cousins can understand this perfectly, I think. They ask such funny questions, too: "Ella sensei, what is the best way to get the center of a tornado?" and "How long does it take you to get to Japan from America every morning?"

I wish you could all meet each and every one of these cuties.

"D" is for Dorayaki.

Mmmmmm dorayaki......what can be better than two pancakes sandwiching sweet red bean paste? Seriously, so good I could eat it everyday. I have loved almost every single type of dorayaki that has crossed my path. Red beans, white beans, with a chestnut in the middle, with purin in the middle, I LIKE THEM ALL. Come visit me here, and I will take you to get some dorayaki. Actually, I might just bring some to the airport with me when I pick you up. ;)

In Japan, there is a famous cartoon character called Doraemon. He is a blue robot cat whose ears were nibbled off by mice. He is also quite magical and handy in a tight spot because he has this pocket in his tummy that can produce basically anything. Doraemon is absolutely crazy for dorayaki. I feel that this Doraemon and I could be friends...Notice the similarities between this picture of him and the one of me.