I am starting to feel more and more rooted. I've been able to make some Japanese friends, which has really helped. This afternoon I went out for lunch and to the mall with Ayako. She speaks English pretty well, so it was fun to just hang out. Besides eating and talking, we also shopped at the mall and saw a ballet performance. At one of the stages in the mall, a ballet studio put on a little production using music from the Nutcracker! During this medley the different classes would come out right on cue with their darling costumes. Of course, every one danced to perfection and was very articulate, almost rigid in their dancing. The whole thing was very Japanesey.

There was also a coffee house event at the Christian Center, which I went to. It was an evening of Christmas food, music, gospel choir, and puppet show. It was like having a corner of America in Japan. There I also met Miho, whose English is excellent. She went to college in the US and is now waiting for her working visa so she can teach in Hawaii. She thinks she will be in Japan until August. I really hope that we will be able to connect again!