So today was the first day of classes...I forget sometimes that despite being in Japan during summer break...I still have class..complete with homework, tests, and oral exams. eeek! haha i will be sure to study hard and to do my best. My new teacher, Hitomi sensei is wonderful to learn from. She is very cheerful and makes the class fun yet productive. She has this funny little paddle thing that has an "O" on one side and a "X" on the other. You can press a button and it will DING for correct responses and BEEP for incorrect ones haha. Its quite entertaining. Besides im quite determined to improve my Japanese!!!
After class (10am-12am) we all took taxi s up to The Shoin Women's University. A beautiful little school nestled quietly in the slopes on the edge of the 六甲山 (Rokko Mountains) The campus was absolutely gorgeous to say the least. As soon as we got there we were stared and pointed at by our hosting university. Pictures and videos were being taken...makes one feel like a straight up movie star! It was unbelievable. We were escorted into a grand church where prayers were given and a short service was done for our arrival. The most amazing thing...besides me willfully attending a church service was a grandeur pipe organ located in the back area of the church. This thing was huuge! And is apparently famous for its size and beauty. 
Afterwards we were given lunch passes and were set free to explore a bit. We ate at the dining hall...which to say the least was the greatest dining hall food i had ever eaten! While trying to figure everything out I was approached by one of the Shoin Students, Shiho. Shiho began to talk about the kid in the brown shirt that was part of the study abroad group. She said something about Hashi, or chopsticks...she walked me over to the dirty chopsticks bin...AHH the guy in the brown shirt had taken chopsticks out of the used chopsticks bin!! Shiho asked me to bring atrashi hashi to him, new chopsticks. haha it was just a funny little story I thought I'd share...yeah clearly we ve mades quite the impression on the students here! 
We walked around outside where we were greeted warmly by the Shoin Students. We found a large Koi pond with 4 or 5 enourmous Kois!!! They all swam calmly up to the surface too..probably expecting a snack. haha
Our hostess then rounded us up and took us on a tour of campus. We were also given library cards and encouraged to come and check out they re selection of books and periodicals. We walked up the steep hills and were shown the different classrooms and offices within the campus. Finally at the very top there were tennis courts and a gym...and one of the most beautiful views I had ever seen. You could see right to the ocean!! It was absolutely beautiful.
When the tour was complete we were again set free to travel around Kobe. A few of us decided to walk back to the dorms...a bit of exploration as well as really being able to see the city for what it was. We were also told it was a pretty easy walk back....but of course...we got lost. haha. Without panicking we asked for directions and began our trek back on course. However..Chris and I noticed the entrance to what looked like a shrine...and so how could we resist??? We left the group and took a chance..figured we could find our way back on our own...greatest decision ever. The shrine was breathtaking. Large columns lined the sidse with a gently sloping shingled roof over top of them. The columns stood out in a robust red color, with large white lanterns swung playfully overhead. We watched as the locals offered they're prayers to a large shrine in the center of the temple. They bowed and then tugged on a gigantic rope which rang bells that filled the quiet air with the sounds of jingling. We also watched two women go over to a tree and carefully folded a white strip of paper over one of the branches. 
Lastly there was a large ornate fountain that had a statue of a prominent looking dragon coiled around the sides. Water poured from its mouth into a large stone tub and in the center of the tub, two tin cups lay. We watched as the locals filled cups and water bottles from the fountain..so of course we had to get a drink too! We walked through the rest of the Shrine which we later found out to be called Rokko Hachiman Shinto Shrine. There was a long stretching path with more ornate red posts lining either side. A small park was on the left with children scattered all about. Its then when we noticed that people lived right next to this beautiful shrine. It was amazing!! Getting lost isnt always such a bad thing after all.
Here's the new food for today!
KATSU. Which i believe to be a broad term for a type of frying foods. Today we had とんかつ. A type of pork cutlet. The outside is covered in crispy salty flakes and the inside is steaming and tender. It was definitely quite delicious!
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