Hot Spots

Hello Friends,

I apologize for not posting in a while. In all honesty there hasn't been a lot to tell about. I'm in a purgatory so to speak with not having classes but not quite being on a full break. there are orientation events scheduled almost every other day which hinders one from leaving campus for an extended period of time. The most recent of which was a health check up for all international students. We all had to get up at 8am and take a shuttle down to the hospital. Once we got there i thought this would be an all day endeavor. much to my surprise i was wrong. they put us through about 10 different tests including TB shots and drew blood among others. They were so efficient i was almost overwhelmed. i suppose i am just used to getting to a hospital, waiting for 4 hours to talk to a doctor for 2 minutes. But i was done in a half hour here. and they finished about 100 students in about a 2 hours span. I don't think people give the japanese health system enough credit sometimes. because they have their act together. and i can't imagine them being too bad when it comes to getting people on their way. on the way back from the hospital a lot of the geothermal hot spots were going crazy today, so you could see the steam all over the place. which was really neat passing them just on the side of the road. one down side to it though is the smell of sulfur that usually comes along with it.

furthermore, i've been playing some basketball lately. i am not particularly good, but its a good way to meet some new folks. i should stop judging books by their cover because it gets me no where. i found myself on a court with a bunch of seemingly pedestrian asians, who didn't look the least bit athletic (a couple in jeans, one guy in loafers, another with thick glasses, etc.). so i thought to myself, i'm way more athletic than them...how wrong i was. these kids ran around and made me look like a chump. it was a definite eye opener. and made me reevaluate my life.

anyways, posting some pictures from the last few weeks. enjoy the pics, hope they do the place justice.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=163055&id=505754940&l=631b49d508


Until Next Time,

M@