SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25TH

DEAR EVERYBODY,
SATURDAY WAS THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE DAY FOR ME, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I CAN EXPLAIN IT! THIS WAS THE DAY I MET MY FAMILY THAT I WAS GOING TO SPEND THE WEEKEND WITH. OH BOY, WAS I NERVOUS. I HAD SO MANY QUESTIONS: WOULD THEY SPEAK ENGLISH? WOULD THEY LIKE ME? WOULD I LIKE THEM? WOULD I HAVE TO SLEEP ON THE FLOOR? WHAT WOULD THEIR BATHROOM BE LIKE?? OH, SO NERVOUS! BUT, GUESS WHAT? I DID NOT HAVE TO BE NERVOUS AT ALL BECAUSE WE LIKED EACH OTHER INSTANTLY. FIRST THING THAT HAPPENED WAS THAT WE WERE ALL TAKEN TO A RESTAURANT WHERE EACH OF OUR FAMILIES WERE WAITING FOR US. IT WAS AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT AND THEY HAD PIZZA AND PASTA. YEAH!!!! THE FATHER AND THE DAUGHTER WERE THERE TO MEET ME. THE MOTHER WAS AT WORK, AND THEIR 16 YEAR OLD SON WAS AT BASEBALL PRACTICE. SO, WE MET AND SHOOK HANDS AND ATE PIZZA TOGETHER. THEY DID NOT SPEAK A LOT OF ENGLISH, BUT WE MANAGED TO COMMUNICATE. NEXT SOME JAPANESE DANCERS PERFORMED FOR US AND EVERYBODY GOT UP AND DANCED. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN!
AFTER THAT WE LEFT TO GO TO THEIR HOUSE. I WAS SO EXCITED TO GO INTO A JAPANESE HOUSE. I WALKED IN AND HAD TO TAKE MY SHOES OFF RIGHT AWAY, OF COURSE!! IN THE HALLWAY THEY HAVE A CABINET JUST FOR SHOES. THERE ARE NO SHOES KEPT ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE HOUSE, EVERYBODY'S SHOES MUST BE IN THE HALL CABINET. NEXT I MET THE MOTHER. SHE WAS JUST AS EXCITED TO SEE ME AS I WAS TO SEE HER. SHE SERVED ME RITZ CRACKERS AND HERSHEY KISSES. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY HAD THOSE FOODS THERE. AFTER THAT I MET THE NIECE, THE NIECE'S BOYFRIEND AND THE DAUGHTER'S FRIEND. GOOD NEWS: THE DAUGHTER'S FRIEND NAMED TOMOMI SPOKE ENGLISH. SHE WAS OUR TRANSLATOR FOR THE WHOLE WEEKEND. HER ENGLISH WAS PRETTY GOOD, TOO. I WAS SO THANKFUL SHE WAS WITH US. I LIKED EVERYBODY AND THEY SEEMED TO LIKE ME. I HAD BROUGHT PRESENTS FROM THE USA. I GAVE THEM BOOKS ABOUT PHILADELPHIA, EAGLES T-SHIRTS, A SMALL LIBERTY BELL, PICTURES OF YOU GUYS AND OF MY FAMILY AND SOME HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATES. WHEN THEY SAW THE HERSHEY KISSES THEY ALL LAUGHED. THEY THOUGHT THAT YOU CHILDREN WERE BEAUTIFUL!! THEY LOVED THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN!!
NEXT IT WAS TIME TO GO SIGHTSEEING. WE WENT TO A VERY OLD CASTLE, WHICH WAS MAGNIFICENT!!! YOU WILL SEE THE PHOTOS! WHEN WE WERE WALKING BACK TO THE CAR WE PASSED AN OBAMA POSTER. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT, OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT IN JAPAN?? I WENT IN THE STORE AND AM AMERICAN MAN NAMED CHARLIE WAS INSIDE. HE WAS THE SHOP'S OWNER AND I HAD WALKED INTO AN AMERICAN BOOK STORE. IT WAS AWESOME. WE TALKED FOREVER AND TOOK A PHOTO TOGETHER. DO YOU SEE WHO IS ON HIS PILLOW?
AFTER THAT WE WENT TO THEIR GRANDFATHER AND GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE FOR DINNER. GRANDFATHER COOKED A JAPANESE FOOD CALLED TEMPURA. OH MY GOODNESS, IT WAS THE BEST!! IT WAS FISH AND ALL TYPES OF VEGETABLES COATED IN A BATTER AND FRIED LIGHTLY. THERE WAS RICE AND SOUP WITH NOODLES. WE ATE ON THE FLOOR, OF COURSE. THEN THEY HAD ME TRY ON TWO GORGEOUS KIMONAS. I FELT SO SPECIAL. WE DANCED AND SANG AND LAUGHED AND IT WAS GREAT!! EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T SPEAK MUCH ENGLISH AND I SPOKE NO JAPANESE WE ALL GOT ALONG AND HAD A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT! I HATED TO LEAVE, BUT GRANDFATHER WAS TIRED FROM ALL THAT COOKING AND SO WAS GRANDMOTHER.
WHEN WE GOT BACK TO THEIR HOUSE IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO TAKE A JAPANESE BATH. THAT WAS INTERESTING. DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THEY TOLD US AT THE JAPANESE HOUSE IN PHILADELPHIA? FIRST YOU WASH YOURSELF OUTSIDE OF THE TUB AND THEN YOU GET IN THE TUB JUST TO SOAK AND RELAX. I LIKED IT!! THE TUB WAS VERY DEEP AND VERY HOT. IT WAS A NICE EXPERIENCE. FINALLY IT WAS BEDTIME. GUESS WHERE I HAD TO SLEEP?? YUP, ON THE FLOOR. THE MOTHER WENT RIGHT TO A CLOSET AND PULLED OUT THE THIN MATTRESS, PILLOW AND BLANKETS. I WAS AFRAID THAT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SLEEP, BUT I HAD NO PROBLEM. I HAD THE MOST FANTASTIC DAY EVER!!!
I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO WRITE, BUT THIS IS ENOUGH FOR TODAY!! I HOPE YOU ARE ALL BEHAVING. ONE WEEK FROM TODAY I WILL BE BACK!!! I MISS YOU ALL! BE GOOD FOR MRS. WELDON ON YOUR LAST WEEK!! LOVE, ME!!!