Friday May 3

I got up early - not on purpose. I set an alarm so I could get up to get ready to take the train to Oshu. Well, I set my Saturday alarm. I got up and got ready and checked my phone to see if I was going to be on time to go to the library and the train station and saw I was TWO HOURS early! I'd forgotten that even though I had Friday off, it's not the weekend and woke up to my school alarm. However it made me glad that feeling so exhausted was in part due to getting up too early. I gratefully went back to bed and took an hour nap. It felt great! I set an alarm and when that went off, I got up, put on my shoes and was out the door.

I rode my bike down to the station and parked it. I had packed my overnight bag already (that morning) so I grabbed that and went to Aiina. It was on the way that I saw Angel (a coworker) and got to meet his family. It was kinda cool to meet them. (Sorry if this isn't making sense... I'm pretty tired, lol). So I went to Aiina as my library books were due and got a couple others. I then got my train ticket and waited for the train. (I wanted to make sure I was WAY in advance so I would have plenty of time if I had trouble.) A man at the ticket window helped me - I asked if it was platform 5 (since I was taking the same train as last time) and he said 7. So off I went to 7. Because I got there early, I was at the front of the line to get on the train. When it got there, I got on, grabbed a seat and started to read. (I also texted Limor that I had made my train and I would be in Oshu at 12h12). The train was RIGHT on time - but Limor was not. She had to wait for Jake to get there from Sendai. (Which is totally fine.) I got to read for another hour until they got there. LOL When I walked outside I saw Limor driving and Jake running after the car. I asked what was going on and I'm still not sure what was happening. Pretty funny to see though. Then we hopped into the car and drove to Ofunato (where Limor lives an hour and a half from Oshu). I tried to give her some gas money, which she refused, and I gave Limor and Jake a present I'd bought at the station: caramel Tim Tams.

When we got to Limor's we ate lunch and had tea and at the Tim Tams. We got to hang out and talk (the whole way there and then at Limor's place). I cannot for the life of me remember what we did for dinner...

On Saturday Jake and I had breakfast at Limor's place (she had to leave at 4 am), and then lunch and dinner were provided to us by her Taiko group. They were so kind and gracious to us. I'm pretty sure we went out for dinner Friday night ... but I really can't remember to where. Hmm. Anyway.. it was nice to be with friends and in a smaller group. :)

XOXO, A

Here are those two things at Aiina I told you about:

Dog Cupcake

"Tree" with light-up leaves! So amazing!