Okay, so I'm not very good at this blogging regularly thing...

...But I keep trying!  Here's a quick list of ALL THE THINGS since I last updated:

• Finals
• Celebrated birthday/winter holidays
• Family visited, we toured Kyoto and then traveled to Okinawa
• Went to Ginkakuji
• Went hiking at Fushimi Inari
• Started new semester
• Day trip with AKP and host families to Eiheiji

Life has been busy, basically!  Right now I'm continuing to take Japanese classes (5 days a week, an hour and a half a day), and then also a classic literature class and a class on Japanese religion.  My electives seem like they're going to be really good--both professors are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and good at teaching (organized, easy to understand, etc.).  So I'm really enjoying school right now. 

I'm also planning a short trip to Nagoya in a week and a half or so; a friend and I are going for a couple days.  We're planning on seeing her friend (who's currently doing JET there) and going around exploring the city a little (it has a number of historical things from the Tokugawa era, like a castle and an art museum, and also fun things like an aquarium and onsen within day-trip distance). 

So basically, Japan is going pretty well!  The worst part is that I can't be both here and at Wellesley at the same time--missing a year at my home school is a pretty high trade-off, even if I'm having an amazing time here, and I do miss my friends there a lot.  But I still haven't learned to be in two places at once, so it can't be helped, I guess.  And skype and email are wonderful things, for that!  :) 

I will try to have it NOT be another two months until I update again.  頑張ります！