Get ready for a LONG BLOG!

So Shibuya... walked around, it's like the "hotspot" for the youth of tokyo, still as busy as ever. Ok, maybe a little less crowded, but still HELLA people. Found a karaoke bar that a lot of people were going into, so we went in, asked for prices, and decided we'd do it. it was 1260 yen per person per hour and we got our own little room, and we didn't find this out until later, but apparently it was unlimited drinks!!! we definitely did not take advantage of this, cuz we didn't know... but if we ever go back, we know now. We left around 1:30, I wanted to walk around a bit more, but it was starting to rain, so we got a taxi and left. My first taxi ride in japan! i don't know if i've said it before, but the doors open and close automatically controlled by the driver so people don't have to open and close the doors. it's also really clean inside.

Sunday was raining, so we all pretty much decided to stay in. It was a nice break from all the walking and I think we all needed it. Also finally got my laundry done. 3 machines for a hotel with people living on 5 floors?? that's kinda ridiculous. Had a meeting to get ready for the coming week, and I've discovered songs I hadn't known before but LOVE! 

Monday - Somehow today was a LONG day. Some of the kids were the same from last week, but we had a bunch of different kids as well. They are definitely a lot rowdier. During swimming, all the japanese boys decided to try and squirt me with the tiny water pistols. It was pretty unfair cuz they had the only two guns of the compound. But I was able to swim away, and swim under them and stuff. They would plot against me in japanese but little did they know, I understood them (tee hee) so I was always one step ahead! ugh son! haha. I also had two of the older girls put it on themselves to be my protector and help guard off the boys. It was exhausting to constantly be swimming then treading. Good workout. For clubs this week I had a dance club, so I had the kids brainstorm ideas for a dance that they would perform at the end of the week. Of course, the songs they were Camp Rock songs and Hannah Montana songs... -.- Went home that day and updated myself on what's cool in the preteen culture. Made a nice little mix for them to dance with, and came up with possible choreography for the kids. I realized doing this that I have some really young kids in my group, so it had to be as simple as possible but cute as well. It was quite fun. Didn't spend too much time on it, but enough.

Tuesday - Some kids are quite irritating... but I guess that's why they're kids. I left my locker key at the hotel (I was going to say "home" but I guess the hotel is my home for now) and couldn't get to my swimsuit, so I couldn't swim. The japanese boys were quite disappointed, they thought I was kidding. Today was a nice day though so I was bummed I couldn't swim, and to top it off, sitting at the edge of the water, I got SO many bug bites. I swear the bugs here are creepers, they're small little black bugs, not mosquitos, and you don't notice them or feel them. I think one bug bit me like a bajillion times before I finally saw it and killed it. It must've bitten me that much because by the end of swimming I had 2 new bites on my neck (NO JOKE!) two behind my left knee, one on my lower left leg, one on my right ankle, one on my left arm, and two on my right elbow -.- it sucks. 

Wednesday - Supposed to be the field trip to Tokyo Disney Sea today (equivalent to Disney California) but it was POURING, so we decided not to go like 30 mins before the kids arrived.I was SOAKED and we realized the kids would not want to do ANYTHING all day in the rain, so we decided to switch today and tomorrow.I was kind of bummed cuz I didn't bring my laptop and the song I had for the club, or more moves to teach the kids since I thought we'd be on the field trip today. But we made it work, and I pulled stuff out of my rear. Plus, I taught the older girls a bit of what I came up with, and they added stuff they wanted to do, and so it was nice. They seem to really be enjoying it and having fun with it. I'm glad.

Thursday - Much nicer day, so we went on the field trip. Miss Sprout and I had the youngest of our group and OMGOSH talk about exhausting, we had one camper that's a major space cadet and if someone wasn't holding his backpack (yes, like a leash) literally guiding him around the park, I swear he'd wander off and get lost.... >.<>

I truly believe disneyland is a magical place. Sure, they charge you an arm and a leg for magic, but it's amazing. It really is like being in another world, another place. The people are so amazing, it's just such a happy place, and the people I went with added to the magic, and it was probably the best way to end a long day worrying about losing a kid. To top it all off, Japan LOVES stitch, and I LOVE Japan for loving stitch! I have never seen SO many stitch items before.. EVER. Disneyland and even the disney store does not worship stitch as much as Japan does, and for that, Japan won me over (their decorations and set ups are also much more elaborate too). I went NUTS and I wanted to buy sooo much! But my friends cut out so much, and I only ended up with three things. I also bought some small stuff for my grandma and others. I found STITCH EARS!!!!! Instead of Mickey Mouse ones that's like everywhere in disneyland, they actually have stitch ears, which i've NEVER seen before, so I had to get it even though it was pretty pricey. I figured it's something I won't really be able to get in the states, and I've been working hard (especially today) so I deserve a treat and I got them. I wanted to get so much more though... but it's ok. One day I will find all that stuff, and if I can't, I'll just have to go back to Tokyo Disney for it.

To end off one of the most perfect nights, I came home and did more camp stuff! No matter how tired I get, or how much I complain about these kids, it's amazing what a smile of theirs could do. 

Friday - today, everyone was just tired. On the usual walk back to the center after picking up the kids from the gate, one of the girls said something that really shocked me. She was talking to another girl, and the other girl asked her if she spoke japanese. The girl said she didn't so the other girl asked why not, and the girl said something along the lines of "my dad's british and my mom's japanese. I speak english and not japanese because that's my mom's language and you learn your dad's language, not your mom's" I was literally like O.O the other girl then said something about "Oh, it's because you're also a girl right?" Seriously?!?! That kind of upset me. We have an african american girl at camp that speaks flawless japanese, and she was saying today how she looks like her dad, but her baby brother looks like her mom. I thought that was very cool. Siblings, but one looks african american and the other looks asian. 

Panther cubs came up once again to our blitz in the morning and then our club presentations after lunch. They are so adorable! Anyway, the campers in my club asked me to stand in the back while they're performing and do the moves so if they forget they can see me, so of course I did. They did such a GREAT JOB! It was adorable, and they all looked like they enjoyed themselves, so I will consider that a success! hehe

At the end of the day, while we were taking down decorations and putting up next week's, a camper comes back and asks if we've seen his brother (the space cadet mentioned earlier). They usually walk home together, but apparently today he left without his brother, and when he got home, his brother wasn't there. We called the lady in charge of the camp on the compound who called their mom. She didn't seem too worried and told us we don't need to look for him. But we did anyway. The nanny seemed a lot more worried than the mother. We take this kid to Tokyo Disney Sea and back without him getting lost, and he gets lost on the compound. We knew he had to be on the compound because since he was a kid, the guards at the gate would not have let him out by himself. So we looked around, and I asked the camper if he was his brother, where would he go. He said something like "I'd go home, because I don't know my way around the compound." Great. -.- So I asked if he'd go to the pool, or the park, or the pond, but the camper insisted his brother doesn't know his way around, and he's the type of person that would keep wandering and walking around if he got lost. O.o So I asked him if maybe he followed another camper home, who would he go home w/? And we went to that camper's house and asked the nanny if she's seen his brother. The nanny said he wasn't there, but later on we find out he WAS there. He had been in the other camper's room with the door closed and the nanny didn't notice... what a nanny she is. Another week over!

Random things:

- people are ARE polite here! this guy on a bike was passing a pedestrian walking towards him and he bowed on his bike. I thought that was cool

- the girls here still wear heels, even at disneysea. CRAZY huh?? As much as I love japan, I doubt I'll ever truly fit in here because they put in so much effort into their appearance, and I like wearing heels once in a while, but I wouldn't live in them like these girls seem to do. 

- It's been almost 3 weeks and I haven't had tapioca. Can you say withdrawls?? I also miss playing MJ w/ my lovers! 

- the fruits and vegetables in japan is a rare commodity. Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but it's ridiculously overpriced and if I go broke it'll be b/c of either fuits or stitch items. 

I'm LOVING it here! but I miss everyone at home... I wish the two could merge... I can't believe it's been almost 3 weeks already.