Thursday, October 15, 2009

First Summer in Japan

I got sick of Spanish in college and switched to Japanese. After a year of that, I was kind of into it and I decided to do a summer homestay in Japan. (My second choice was Vietnam.) I spent 4 weeks in Kita-ku, Kobe (in the countryside) and 2 weeks in Nishinomiya (a suburb between Kobe and Osaka). In Kita-ku I stayed in this room,

with this view,

stretched along my futon under the mosquito net, drinking iced tea, listening to the cicadas and the giant old house.

I was 20, it felt just like this and it was perfect.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Your shorts are my favorite color, if they are avocado-color like they appear in that picture.

I love the hair! How short was it?

Beth Roeser said...

they're kinda lime-ish but i love them and i have pictures of them all over the world, haha.

it was that short all over, like pixie-length. i miss short hair, i'm trying soooo hard to grow it long now!

Shamrin said...

I've been reading your blog for quite a while now, and I love it so much! That looks like the perfect experience! Was this homestay arranged with your college or a separate program? I'm looking for a good homestay program for this upcoming summer (no country in particular)- do you have any suggestions?

Thanks again for a great blog, and I'm sorry my very first comment on here bothers you with questions!

Beth Roeser said...

Shamrin - thanks!

I went with the Lion's Club. I've done two formal homestays, the other was with Rotary International. Both of them take you until you're 20, I think. They are both reputable and affordable with scholarships and fundraising help and such. That's all I've got, sorry!

Whitney said...

I miss your short hair! I like your long hair, too. What a predicament!