Im dreaming of a white Easter...

Well, Easter was very interesting this sunday.  Not only was there a foot of snow outside my bedroom, but I also got to experience a Japanese church service at the Green Chapel.  It was interesting to hear traditional easter songs that are sung in my church being sung in Japanese!  The sermon was the hardest to get through though.  It was an hour long and I couldnt understand any of it!  The people at the church were pretty nice though, and invited me to lunch and tea.  Afterwards I took the bus for the first time, and went shopping at Oyachi station.  I found out that my shoe size is the largest in Japan, a LL.  apparently anything over 8 is considered to be an extra large shoe size, so I had trouble finding any boots.  Oh well.  The people here are pretty nice, although some of the older people have glared at me for some reason, while others simply stare.  Some students will approach me simply because I am a foreigner, which is a strange feeling.  The children at the church especially are fascinated by how I look.  I dont think they have seen many blue eyes, because they kept saying that my eyes were really beautiful.  Very sweet, but I am not used to that kind of attention.  It makes me much more conscious about my actions, because of how much I stand out.  My host family is really sweet.  Okaasan (host mom) calls me Abby-chan and is more motherly than my actual mother.  When she found out that I didnt have any gloves, she went out and bought me some and insisted that I wear them.  She has me take out the trash in the morning, but gives me little else to do.  I have offered to do laundry and the dishes, but she refuses.  They started out with making me American type food, like pancakes and corn, but have gradually eased me into Japanese dishes.  Although yesterday morning I was offered toast, yogurt, salmon, and fried chicken for breakfast!  They are really sweet though, and I get along with them well.  Finally, this is my first week of classes and they are pretty interesting but also overwhelming.  I had to buy 5 different Japanese books and I have quizzes everyday.  If homework is incomplete(such as a blank answer), the entire homework is rejected.  They are strict, but I am hoping that my Japanese becomes better because of it.  My other class is American Culture, which should be pretty easy.  Today we learned about George Washington!  Sorry that this blog is so long, but I have been having trouble finding internet, as the campus is no longer wireless.  I found a school computer I can use though, and I hope to update more regularly.  またね！