day 4

my host family is quite young. and because they are young they don't serve miso soup, eggs, rice, and various pickled substances for breakfast. nope, it's good old fashioned toast and cereal. suits me fine - i was a little worried about rice for breakfast. only all the cereal boxes available are tiny. and the options are frosted flake style or granola. two most excellent choices, to be sure, but limited in scope.
i hadn't considered how tiring it would be to constantly be struggling to communicate. both my host parents speak a decent amount of english, but that still doesn't make it a breeze.
and it's hotter than david hasselhoff's swim trunks here. i sweat at least a little all day, though i can't quite tell the difference between my sweat and the tangible humidity. i can see why the japanese bathe daily. remember "pocari sweat"? well, it's turned into quite the amusing family joke. after explaining to them what "sweat" is they too understand why the concept of drinking it really gets me going. so now when i come home sweating from the heat and the uphill return bike ride i'm not just sweating - i'm pocari sweating.