My life as a septuagenarian in Sendai

So my homestay hasn't exactly been a party, unless you're talking about a retirement home party. So far i have only meant old people - my homestay parents are in their 70s, and I've had the opportunity to meet other old people as well. I spend my days eating meals, watching TV, watering the garden, taking walks in the neighborhood, and sleeping. I do not want to retire, ever, if this is what retirement is. And my host father, a former Fulbrighter, isn't even retired! He is still a professor at Tohoku Dai! He teaches English, so he only speaks English to me which sucks since, um, I'm here to study Japanese. And he told me he likes to water the garden because it is meditative since he has "a lot to think about"; so far, "a lot" seems to be preparing for the 4 class periods he teaches a week and trying to decide whether his night-cap will be sake or red wine.

I managed to set up my bank account today. I also had the chance to run some errands on campus (get my tuition paperwork and set up my placement test). And I was alone for the first time in a week and it was beautiful. My mind felt like the cage doors had finally opened. See, Japanese people seem to have "over-bearing" as a common personality trait. I can't wait to move into my apartment - it's going to be lonely for awhile, but at least I'll have my own space.

Tomorrow, the gas gets set up in my apartment and I'm going to one of my host dad's classes, so hopefully I'll meet some kids. I miss the Fulbrighters and I miss Tokyo. A few of us are already in the preliminary planning stages of trips to visit each other.