The Dull Knife/Nikko
Okay so maybe Intensive Level 2 this semester was a bad call. I am so burned out and insecure right now, I can't help but feel dull. I think, as I have told many people, this is a natural thing with exchange students and I'll get over it. But yeah I was feeling really down for a bit, and am getting better now.
Anyway a couple weeks a go I went to Nikko, which is a small town in the mountains, outside Tokyo. There was something like 14 of us in total, 3 girls and 11 guys. It was really a blast. When you go to Nikko you pretty much have two destinations, 1) really old temples in the woods, 2) outdoor natural spas. So on the first day we saw all your basic temples, and that was kind of run of the mill, but because there was 14, it was pretty fun. Then we went to the spa. Spa culture is really a huge part of Japan, and actually most places outside the Americas. People in Japan go to vacation in small towns, like Nikko, to enter any one of the thousands of spas that are remotely scattered throughout the mountains of Japan. This will probably not be the last spa I visit in Japan. Afterwards we got drunk in a Japanese style hotel, well I got drunk. A Japanese style hotel doesn't have any beds, only tatami mats, a table, and futons, which you need to take from the closet. It's very simple and relaxing. The next day we visited a 97 meter waterall. There we saw wild monkeys. The snow banks were meters high, and one of the guys from Thailand, Pap, had never seen snow before. He was pretty stoked. We went home after that.
Next Week? Thailand!
Anyway a couple weeks a go I went to Nikko, which is a small town in the mountains, outside Tokyo. There was something like 14 of us in total, 3 girls and 11 guys. It was really a blast. When you go to Nikko you pretty much have two destinations, 1) really old temples in the woods, 2) outdoor natural spas. So on the first day we saw all your basic temples, and that was kind of run of the mill, but because there was 14, it was pretty fun. Then we went to the spa. Spa culture is really a huge part of Japan, and actually most places outside the Americas. People in Japan go to vacation in small towns, like Nikko, to enter any one of the thousands of spas that are remotely scattered throughout the mountains of Japan. This will probably not be the last spa I visit in Japan. Afterwards we got drunk in a Japanese style hotel, well I got drunk. A Japanese style hotel doesn't have any beds, only tatami mats, a table, and futons, which you need to take from the closet. It's very simple and relaxing. The next day we visited a 97 meter waterall. There we saw wild monkeys. The snow banks were meters high, and one of the guys from Thailand, Pap, had never seen snow before. He was pretty stoked. We went home after that.
Next Week? Thailand!
posted by Oliver Gatalo at 4:43 AM
3 Comments:
Hey, Oli - February is typically the toughest month of the year (on northern hemisphere). People are generally burnt out, dull and grumpy. The good news is, it’s short and it’s almost March! We’ve been snowed out and frozen last week, but today is a beautiful sunny day. Love, Mom
OI ORIBA,
ganbare. We're on the other side of the world cramming physics in our brains. Dull knife..hahahahhahha
Hi Oli,
Cool 'stache! Anyway your Japanese seems awesome to me - I wouldn't worry about it. You even knew the word for hipster! And, I think anytime you are in an intensive program it is very normal to feel insecure - it's so common that there is even a name for it in grad school - the Imposter syndrome or something like that. I've always found that cupcakes work wonders.
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