9:30 AM. I get to the Stanford Center and head down to the cluster for my daily Internet injection.
10:00 AM. Japanese class. We�fve found that by hiding in the cluster we can push this back a few minutes. Of course, in a class of six, the sensei can easily find us. We get a 10-minute break during this class that we also try to stretch.
12:00 PM. Lunch, from one of the nearby takeout places or konbinis, or delivered if we�fre feeling really lazy. Two decent ones have free delivery, even for one $5 bowl. The Stanford Center keeps these places in business.
1:00 PM. Sometimes a section, sometimes a meeting.
2:30 PM. More class.
just before 6:00 PM. I leave the Center. I love the looks and hushed voices I get when I bust out my notebook on the bus. It�fs even better when I open my kanji practice program. Sometimes when I know they�fre talking about me I just open the kanji trainer just for the reaction. I love it when the guy next to me keeps sneaking glances at the screen. (This never happens when I�fm typing in English, like this blog, for example.)
by 7:30 PM. I walk through my host family�fs neighborhood, the smells of barbecues and other dinners wafting through the air. When I get back to the homestay, my host father�fs in the ofuro (more on this later) and my host mother�fs making dinner. By the time he gets out of the ofuro, it�fs on the table.
sometime after 8:00 PM. Host mother abruptly cuts our conversation short by pointing out the time and after helping clean up as much as host mom will allow, I go take a shower while she cleans the kitchen.
8:30 PM on. Homework until I fall asleep, usually.