I got quite busy, but I've been meaning to post about several things so I will make a master post of sorts for the past few weeks. I am officially on break, so I've got the time now.

Fall here is absolutely incredible. Paired with temples, day trips are stunning. I went to Nagahama on the last Sunday in November and then to Kyoto on Tuesday. Both trips involves several miles of walking, but the scenery makes it worth it. I absolutely love trees and the temples. The sheer size of the temples is astounding. I feel so small when visiting. The trees make fall one of my favorite times of year, except for the cooler weather. I will add only a few of the many pictures I took.



It's definitely starting to get cold here, but the temperature is far less volatile than both my hometown in Texas and Columbia. It's snowed in both places, but have warmed up drastically after that. The temperature here has just steadily declined. There is a chance for snow next week though. The mornings are quite chilly and there is some snow on the mountains already. It makes them look them visually appealing, but I cannot get a good picture unfortunately.

We went to Koka City for one of my classes two weekends ago. We had a booth at an international festival about SDGs. It was quite interesting. After lunch there were performances from the many cultures that live in Koka. There were dances and other performances from all over the world, and it was really cool to watch. I will add a short clip and I apologize for the poor quality.



Last weekend, my German friend Flo and I did a sort of homestay thing in Nagahama. We got to both experience four star hospitality and how such a hotel is maintained. We did dishes after lunch, and I don't know if I have ever seen so many different kinds of dishes. It was incredible really. They put a lot of focus on presentation. We worked with two high school boys who were going to graduate soon that worked there part time. They were really nice and helpful. I didn't count on having to take my shoes off a hundred time though. The system they had for how they stored the dishes was cool. I don't even know how to begin trying to describe this system, so I will leave you with only that it is cool. They had a separate hotel for those with pets, and I have never seen any place so much accommodate to pets. They had kennels and even a menu for pets. They had baby gates in place and many latches so the dogs wouldn't bolt when the owner was closing the door. They also had cameras in the elevators and screens on each floor so people could see if there were pets in the elevator already that might cause issues. Fun fact: Mercedes-Benz makes dog carriages. I didn't know this, but I will provide photo evidence. I also got to experience an onsen, which is a hot spring. I didn't know if I would be able to since tattoos are taboo here and I have several. I asked the owner and he let me use the private one rather than the public one. It was fabulous. The tubs are made locally and they're beautiful. They had some indoor and outdoor. The water was 40 degrees Celsius inside and 44 outside. I really liked the outside because it was 5 degrees and dark, so it was so so relaxing. I loved it. We also made beds the next day, which is a lot more difficult than you would think. I'm pretty sure I ate more in those two days than I had in the whole week before. After lunch on Sunday, we went to a bird sanctuary where we got to see an eagle that had migrated to the same spot every year for the past 21 years. Then we went to a traditional doll puppet school. It was really cold in the building. It takes three people to do one doll. We got to try and it's really interesting. We also got to see the closet where the dolls are assembled. There were heads that were hundreds of years old that had their original hair. I will add a photo of the doll heads.



That concludes this post I believe. I plan to have a pretty chill break, maybe go on a day trip or two. New Years will be spent with Ayame and her family and I look forward to that.

I began this series with the three things I will miss most from home. I'm excited about home, but there are definitely things I will miss from Canterbury too, so I made another little list -

Walking. I love going on long walks, and it has been so great being able to walk everywhere. Most of the other Americans say they miss driving and are looking forward to having their cars back, but I've enjoyed having long walks as an integral part of my day. Instead of having to make time for a walk at home, it's just my primary mode of transportation. And I've gotten to explore a lot more of the city and become more familiar with it because I walk everywhere.

Travel. This is actually rather two part: the location and the public transport.

• With Scotland above, Wales on the side, Ireland a hope away, and the Continent just over the Channel, it is so easy to travel. For one of my classes, we went to Bruges for a day. Basically everyone here has been to at least 3 other countries. When you talk to British people, they casually talk about weekends in France or holidays in Germany, Spain, Italy. You don't even have to fly if you don't want to. Like I said in an earlier post, the US is like the whole of mainland Europe, so people travel to different countries like we travel to different states. 
• I know it sounds crazy, but I actually quite like the public transportation here. There are so many trains and buses, and they're  actually pretty nice, because so many people depend on them. Unlike in the US, lots of students and adults don't have licenses, and some never get them. Having a car isn't such a priority here. There are so many more pedestrians, and, in fact, the traffic light system is entirely based on pedestrian crossings, not other four-way stops. As someone who vastly prefers walking to driving (purely as a method of transportation, not because of other, more pragmatic factors like time, independence, etc.), I appreciate being able to walk everywhere, and I think the rides are nice. 

In one week, I'll be back in the United States. It's much easier to leave something when you're going to something else. I don't really think about it as leaving Canterbury so much as going home to Christmas with my family.

Again, it's not really something I'd been thinking about when choosing to study abroad during fall term (actually, I'd initially been intending to make next semester, my final semester, the one abroad), but I'm happy, once more, that I came this term. The weather has been amazing; I've met great people; and I'm going home for Christmas, so it's easier to leave. Don't get me wrong, I am going to miss being here. I'm anticipating going home, while also enjoying being away. I'm so glad to be here for the Christmas season - it's truly special - and I wouldn't have had this if I'd chosen spring semester. I'm getting the best of both worlds by getting to a taste of Christmas here, but then going home to have it there too.

I know the house is already being decorated, which will make it even more lovely to return to. Home and family are always full of love and warmth, and then there will be the extra glow of Christmas to enhance everything. I live out in the country, where we have the most beautiful view and a cozy fireplace, and I've been hearing that there's quite a bit of snow, so I'll be home for Christmas, and I'm dreaming of a White Christmas!

PS - Can you tell that I love Christmas songs? I especially enjoy Josh Groban's version, not just because it's Josh Goban (though he's phenomenal and a definite favorite!), but because it's a tribute to those who are separated from their family for Christmas in service.

I didn't think Christmas would be all that different here, but there are a few things. Perhaps everyone else knew about them, but I didn't.