23 December 2018
After 1.5 hours in airplane finally, I come to Ehime!!! Ehime prefecture is one of an area in Shikoku island and yes it is the different island with the main island of Japan: Honshu. For more detail maybe Wikipedia sensei can explain to you here. Ehime is famous for its onsen (hot spring) explanation is here, they have the oldest onsen around Japan it was Dogo onsen (read more here). Actually, before I go, my friend, already warns me like "Gari where do you want to go to Ehime?, What do you want to do? What do you want to eat?" I said I don't know and plan to make a 'holiday plan' but in fact, I don't really have the plan to make a holiday plan, until I arrive at Matsuyama airport then I just googled "what people usually do in Ehime Pref"(I just afraid my friend would slightly kill me if I don't have anything in my mind) and Dogo Onsen is pop up firstly, but when I want to google more places my friend already come. Hah haaiii~~~ohayouu~~ *oke, am I in the trouble now*hahaha
Mayu San, Castle San, and Imu San come to pick me up in the airport, I'm really happy and surprise wow is this real, am I not dreaming now, I don't expect I can meet them again, and in Ehime. But I'm feeling bad when looking at my appearance cause it's so awful (hell why because I stay in the airport overnight, I just wanna say sorry for that). And they pick me with Castle's car, It feels so nice ugh #norak. When I meet them I forget 'how to greet and communicate' with them, last time we met was February in SUIJI Program at my university, and it was actually the first time we met. I can say it was awkward, but I'm trying my best to greet them. After taking some insta stories yes they ask me for sure
"where do you want to go Gari chan?"
"EEE Anoo, Dogo Onsen dou desuka?" *I want to go to Dogo Onsen, what do you think?*
"Dogo onsen? Hontou ni? It is near my apato"
"Heee really?"
"Yes yes"
"ha ha ha soo desuka"*so am I not yet die? nice*
We chit chat for a while in a car and eventually, Imu still have class in this winter holiday *poor Imu* So we drove to Ehime University to drop off him there after say goodbye we decided to have a late breakfast, and we buy some cake from Castle's favorite cake shop and coffee in Lawson if I'm not mistaken I choose cafe ore? with sugar. Then we drove to some place it was a hill, beautiful hill, I don't have the picture but the name is Sakura Hill because there are many Sakura trees and they swore it was so beautiful when it comes to spring, but now it just looks like dead trees....
We ate there and taking some wefies and tried to plan what to do this day. So we plan to have Nabe (What is Nabe? Here) together in Mayu's apato, so we going to buy some vegetables after this.
Shopping in Ehime is amazing everything is cheaper here and we got the best quality of vegetables because it came directly from the farmer. Believe me it so big and fresh, I wanna buy it and bring it to Tokyo. After shopping, we plan to drop off Mayu San to her part-time job place because she has part times job at 11.00 pm and I'm going to stay with Castle until Mayu San finished.
Oke second awkward begun, I tried my best to speak about everything like everything, after that, we arrived in Castle's apato and he made me take a rest, it was nice to see bed OMG. And he started to cook, I can say he is professional, I don't know what he wanna make, and I don't really ask because I feel so tired, but he boiled some egg and sweet potato and I think he prepared for making nabe. After taking bath, I refuse to help ugh sorry Castle haha, and he didn't like need help tough.
"Oke, Ima finish desu, Gari can you watch over my egg when the alarm comes"
"You have an alarm for an egg?"
"Yes"
"Nice"
"I'm going to pick up Kamui (my other friend)"
"Ahh ok"
then he left, finally, I can sleep. After 15 min he came again with Kamui, whoah so happy I can meet you again Kamui. Then Castle insisted us to eat ramen, and hell yes okay. It's just instant ramen but why it tastes so good, he also added other condiments like an egg, naruto, some sprouts, and leeks. After ramen, he gave us yogurt and kind of liquid sugar, dammit what is THIS IS SOO GWUUD.
Fun fact: I never try to eat yogurt in Indonesia, I just drink yogurt drink not eat it with some liquid sugar.
Fun fact #2: Now I buy 400 gr of yogurt and blueberries topping, and I eat it every.single.day.
After we ate all of that, Castle made us (Me and Kamui) worked, why. He made us crush potatoes to make mash potatoes. Nice
Then he made us pack everything, vegetables, nabe spices, and beers and some okashi or sweets. After that finished!!! Yattaa~~
Castle was like a mother, after he finished cook for Nabe preparation, he prepared for tomorrow's menu, kare. I think he always finds a way to be busy all the time.
Right after the kare was done Sayo coming, Sayo I remember she always sleep when in SUIJI and now nothing changes haha she looks so tired.
"This is because I take to much part-time job"
"wow"
"I have two part-time jobs"
"wow"
Then she ate kare tiredly, poor Sayo. She asked me how long I will stay and she suggested me to go to Hiroshima her hometown, I said yes I'm actually interested in that, I hope my schedule is running as my plan. Then we chit chat about anything we already pass. Then Castle was picked up Mayu San then Mayu San coming and we have another chit chat. Then we planned to move to Mayu's apato to have a party. In Mayu's apato we prepared the pot for nabe, set up everything, plates, glasses, chopsticks, and stove. After everything was good, Rino San, Mitchy San, and Imu San came yattaa~~ oh Sayo can't join because she has a 2nd part-time job at 8 pm.
After that we prepared for making nabe, it was so easy you just have to cut all the vegetables and meat then making the soup with instant spice. It was a wonderful night, at that time I feel so happy that I wish I can hug each of them and say thank you!!! But I can't I just can act cool in front of you guys and I realize its not really their culture to hug, why Japanese?
We talked about everything, now I knew what they were talking about, but somehow it still so difficult for me to say in Japanese, I just can say one or two words. In the middle of eating and talking, one of my friends who has student exchange too, 'Homare' called hahaha, as usual, he wanted to show off about Europe. Homare is so savage boy, I'm glad I don't really talk to him during the program, cause he will slack me off. LOL
cuter
10 PM!
Castle went first because he had part-time job started from 10 until 3 AM! Are you crazy?
I forget about the rest but they went home one by one. But one I can remember I have wonderful dream that night.
