Halfway through the year, when you start to figure out the language, your friends change. Personalities change vastly, and because of that, I have basically got an entire new set of friends.
Yutaka: Still a pretty good friend. He is the kid I have known here for the longest time. The major problem with him, is he is about the most anal person alive. He hates school like any other kid, but when it comes to basketball, there is no sense in cracking jokes or even smiling around him. There`s all the little fact that I skip practice on weekends, which he is never too happy about. Hey, can`t say I came to Japan just to be in school and sports clubs all the time.
Shiho (and family): These people are about the nicest people on the face of the planet. They really want to be my host family, but they live about 45 minutes away from my school, which presents a problem. I stay at their house every now and then over the weekends, and it is awesome to say the least. They live in the city, with a lot of stuff to do, and I am away from Tamana.... and my curfew. Shiho is my age, and she is really cool. she goes to an all girls school, which continues through college, wish I could go to that one. One of her older brothers (Masaki) plays guitar and loves Oasis, basically a Japanese me. We spend the nights playing Oasis songs on guitar, who would have thought? Tho other older brother (Ken) is cool too. Dresses in the rap clothes, but I forgive the Japanese for that. He is 24. His girlfriend is 37, although she looks a lot younger. The girlfriend is how I got to stay with this family, because she is friends with my current host mom. The parents in Shiho`s family are really cool too, namely because they don`t slap a curfew on me, but even better, they are out with us late at night being craz... normal as well.
Lady Classmates: The girls in my class at school are basically the nicest girls in my school, I think the school staff had that in mind when they were deciding which class to put me in. I have just now gotten all their names down, because like I have said before, Japanese names are very hard to remember. They are always smiling, always offering me cookies, wondering about my life in America, etc.... Their most important contribution though is helping me out with my Japanese, and for for that I am obviously very grateful. I need all the help I can get.
Basketball Team: I`ll admit, the soccer team guys weren`t the nicest people on the planet. The basketball team is a whole lot better. The group is smaller, and therefore a lot tighter. There is a lot less pressure, and everyone seems to be on the same level. Because I practice every weekday, I see these guys a lot, so I am very glad I know them all personally, and none of them hate me. Can`t say the same thing applied to the soccer team.
Shintai Sobu (Dance Team): Alright, so technically they aren`t my friends, unless always smiling and waving at me frantically constitutes them as such. Not often do I use the word cute, and I apply it to every member of this team.... still secure with my hetrosexuality.
