October 31st/ November 1st

October 31^st, 2006:

• Visit to the European Union
• So if the EU is working to expand, where does Europe stop?
• Walking tour of Belgium
• La Grande Place
• Manneken Pis
• Waffles
• Night out with Chris and Giosue
• Birthday party + 2 or 3 Bars/ Clubs+ Frites in La Grande Place = Home at 6am

November 1^st, 2006: Recovery Day

(The title says it all. I didn’t wake up until 4pm!)

October 30th, 2006: To Europe We Go!

• “What! we can take up to 25 kilos?”
• How cool, I can email and Skype while flying the friendly skies (for free for the time being)
• I have a conversation IN FRENCH with Jean-Jacques from Brussels. It’s been a while, but it appears that I can manage.
• We arrive in Brussels. I am to be hosted with Chris D’Hont, originally of the Flemmish part of Belgium, with Emilie (“I think this could be a bit dangerous, Erik, but it’s going to be fun”)

October 29th, 2006: Last night with the host family. Last night in Japan

· Packing. “Please, oh, PLEASE let this only weigh 20 kilos”

· Walk through the neighborhood.

· The family takes me to a hot spring, including one of the best sauna experiences ever. In this sauna, you get to lie down (which is what I always want to do). You lie on a hot slab of rock for a half hour while they play relaxing music and a waterfall trickles in the background. Between that and the hotsprings, my muscles were mush!

· The Sushi bar. Get this, the food comes to you! Just please don’t sneeze.

· To the brewery for a good ol’ American combo of beer and pizza.

· A sad goodbye to the Kawakami family. Thank you for making my last week in Japan an eventful one.

· UWP stays at the Olympic Stadium.

October 28th, 2006:

· Halloween activities with Professor Paul’s Tama University Students.

o Ice Breakers, discussion on Halloween traditions around the world, and costume making for the Tama festival.

· Hippo club meeting with Kristina and my host families. This is an interesting concept. Though very confusing for outsiders, members of this club learn up to 19 (?) languages as a child would by listening to foreign languages and mimicking them. There are no tests nor grammer lessons, just repetition of CDs and activities designed to teach basic language. Honestly, this is probably the best way to learn a language if you can’t afford to plop yourself in the middle of a foreign country.

· Great conversations and MANY beers with my hostparents Reiko and Norifumi

October 27th, 2006: Show Day in Tokyo

• Last meeting of the second semester Education Team
  
• You know you’re really involved in a show when during rehearsals you never get to sit in the audience.
• High energy show with a great audience.
• The Seishun boys perform their hot dance one last time.
• It’s been a while since I felt goosebumps, but when I saw the signs at the back of the audience saying “You Rock”, “Goodbye Japan….Hello Belgium”, it brought me back to staging and the thrill of our first show.