Hard Work Pays Off & Bizarre Situations

I had a very interesting time at the gym, yesterday!

First of all, I was very proud of myself and felt awesome when I was done. I did my weight workout, 20 minutes of cardio, then went to the Street Dancing class! That last part was pretty depressing, since most people in the class have been there for several weeks already. I'm just starting, and let me tell you, I was terrible. But my gym-employee friend (can't remember his name...I'm REALLY bad with Japanese names) assured me that after a couple times, I'll catch onto the steps. When I left the gym I was sore and exhausted, but felt amazing. This morning, I was sore, too - and that rarely happens, no matter how hard I try to push myself in my workout. The effort I put into my workout is very rewarding in that I feel like I accomplished something afterwards!

I was doing my weight routine when a guy who I see there often came over and started talking to me. He spoke a few words of English, and I used my few words of Japanese. He asked where I was from and how long I had been coming to Cospa (the gym center). He also asked how old I was, and I found out he was 38. Can't remember his name, either. I really have to get better with names. We muddled our way through the conversation, said the nice-to-meet-you's, and he left.

A few minutes later, he came back over with someone else - who spoke English (yay!). Can't remember his name either. Guy#2 was a lot younger and is from California. He's half-Japanese and learned Japanese in kindergarten (lucky guy). He came to Japan for 3 years to play baseball (super intense schedule!) while he goes to school, and he's done 2 of those 3 years. We chatted a bit, and Guy#1 interjected a few times with some translation help from Guy#2. He also asked many questions: how long was I staying in Japan; what do I do here; what area of Osaka do I live in; did I drink a lot; do I have a boyfriend; what if I meet someone in Japan and want to marry them, would I stay in Japan? That one made me laugh, and I didn't really know what to say to it. I said I had to go back to school to finish my degree, but I supposed I could come back to Japan after that. It was a very funny conversation. Guy#2 and I chatted for a while more...he seemed very timid, and is still in highschool (I think). There were several awkward moments where no one said anything and I slowly drank water from my waterbottle to avoid staring into space. Finally, after several awkward times and bits of conversations, Guy#2 had to go, so we said our I'm-sure-I'll-see-you-again & nice-to-finally-speak-English-again 's, and he left. All in all, it was a very bizarre situation.

It was a strange evening, but the gym workout part was very rewarding, and I guess I have another couple friends at the gym - which is good! And an English one....it will be nice to have more English conversations!

That was my adventure of the week...we'll see what this weekend brings!