On Sunday, I scorched my mouth eating uzura tamago. Also known as deep fried quail egg on a stick. I did not think it would be hot but I was sorely mistaken. At first, it didn’t feel hot but it instantly burnt me. A few moments later I was starting to comprehend the damage that had been done. The roof of my mouth had paid the price of my ignorance. Since then I have tried to nurse it back to life. I’ve eaten a lot of ice cream and fruit. Today Nori, our friend Kin, and I went and watch the new Spider man movie. It was surprisingly refreshing to spend a couple hours just listening to fluent English. To get the theater, we biked 2.5 miles. We finished the movie and biked home. After we returned home, Nori and I put on some running clothes and ran 4.5 miles along the Muko River. We got back quite sweaty and tired. We then proceeded to walk to a near by family mart (similar to 711) to buy some refreshments. I wanted something easy for my burnt mouth. We ended up with a family sized carton of grape juice and a small bag of chocolate bread. They gave us a straw without purchase which I thought was funny because how often does someone come in and buy that much grape juice to drink with a straw. We walked outside and opened the top completely. I was planning to just chug and pass until it was all gone because we both were quite thirsty. However, I thought putting straws in it would make for a good picture so Nori ran back inside to get another. While sitting, I gave a near by elderly man a smile. I often get strange looks just because I am very tall and obviously a foreigner. Apparently, I looked friendly enough because he came up to me and asked “where from?” I replied in Japanese that I was American. Nori returned mid-conversation and helped translate. He said that he was waiting and seemed pretty friendly. He spoke a little English and did his best to use it. It was interesting that universally a smile can get you a long ways. Soon after, he left and I probably will never see him again but I won’t forget his warm intentions and curiosity. Nori and I finished our juice and bread in no time and walked back home. These are the type of experiences that are unique and the longer I spend here the more I get to experience them. I’ve learned that everyone has a story and is walking around with all of their stress from their daily lives. I’ve found that most people have a place to be and no time to sit and relax. If you do have the time, sit down on a bench and hold an intriguingly large amount of grape juice and give an old man a smile because just maybe you’ll learn something new and get a story that you can keep for a lifetime.
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