Oh gosh...so many things have happened within the last 2 days...I went for a Farming trip to a rice paddy field and I also went to see Mt. Aso...and I saw the group of men practising for Yamakaza festival.

Ok...let me summarise everything and begin with the Farming experience. We were free labour for an hour. We weeded. After which, we all became leeches....we ate lots and lots and lots of food together with the farmers at a barbeque lunch. Now, THAT was the highlight of the day. There was lots of beef (yum yum), chicken and pork. The farmers were drowning us with beer and sake too. Saturday was the day where I drank the most amount of beer. I mixed my beer with lemonade (to everyone's horror) and it is actually very delicious. Everyone who tried it was surprised...and one of the teachers started calling it "Melissa's Specialty". Hey...I really don't mind if a drink was named after me. So I am not telling you what percentage of beer to what percentage of lemonade...wahahahaha...

Sunday: My roomate, Connie, arranged with a friend of a friend to drive us up to Mt. Aso. Me and my luck with mountains....I couldn't see a bloody thing!!! It was raining so hard and the fog was so bad that visibility on the roads were like 10 metres! Ah well...cursed me...bringing the fog along. This happened to me with Mt. Fuji too...couldn't see the damn thing. Anyway, so we made our way back and in the evening, the Yamakaza guys started practising hauling the mobile shrine around the neighbourhood. Imagine a whole herd of men dressed in loin cloths...you could see their butts...running around. HAhahaha...their butts were so white they looked like those chickens hanging at the restaurant window. White.

Remember the peer tutor whom I took a pic with? He is taking part in this festival (yes...he has to show off his butt) and I wanted to email him today asking him which part of town is he representing. Well...that was not necessary in the end cos I saw him standing at the first floor of my apartment block this morning (yeah...they were practising at 5 am this morning too) waiting for a friend. So...I knew that he was one of those white chickens running around my block. Haha...can't wait to take a picture of him wearing that thing. Before you guys start thinking anything...please take your heads out of the gutter...i am NOT interested in looking at his butt. I just find it amusing. Seriously.

Anyway, I can't wait for this friday for the main event...and it would also mean that I would be going to Hiroshima for my short side trip! Woot! No studying!!!!! And it also means that when I return, I will be moving to my host family's place...DOGGY! So bad...I am only interested in their pooch.