Happy February!

I thought I'd post a little update about my weekend. I went to a masquerade party at a club on Saturday night for a charity called Peas for Peace, so I made a cool carnivale-esque mask and had a good time dancing away with my JET friends. I spent the night at my friend's place close to the city (we got home at 3:30am) and then I got up at 7:30am to meet my Japanese friends for my first snowboarding adventure.

Anyone who knows me is aware of how incredibly uncoordinated and clumsy I am. So, you can imagine if I can walk along a flat road without tripping, strapping a board to my feet and sending me out in the snow could really only mean disaster.

But, I survived! My Japanese friends were really kind and helped me a lot. By the end of the day I could make it down the run only falling twice, and I didn't break any bones - I just have sore muscles and a bruised bottom! (Thanks to Bunny for the pre-boarding advice: "Fall on your butt, not your face.")

And in my utter exhaustion last night, I spent some time thinking...

who invented snowboarding?
I want to know who sat around thinking, "hey, what if we strap our feet to a board and launch ourselves down a steep and icy hill?!"

crazy, is what that is.

But, I participated in this cultural phenomenon nonetheless. It was more frustrating than fun, but a good experience, and I like how every muscle in my body is aching. I also noticed how it teaches a number of good life lessons.

For example:
-it's easier to go fast than to go slow, but the consequences are much more disastrous.
-falling down only stings for a quick minute, it's the getting up that takes enormous effort and strength.
-you can't just give up halfway down the slope.
-even when you try and fail over and over and over, because you have to get up, you will.
-eating Japanese curry and rice makes everything better.

I guess I'd go again. The outing as a whole was more fun and fascinating than the actual snowboarding part, even when I was doing it successfully. But I'm always up for a good work-out, playing in the snow, and fun friends. :)

Pictures coming soon (they wouldn't let me bring my camera because they thought I would fall and break it, so I'm waiting for Yoshiki to send me pictures)!