Girls' Day/Doll's Festival in Japan

Isn't is awesome that Japan has a special day for all girls?

And aren't those dolls pretty?

Hina dolls

We call the day Hinamatsuri, and it is March 3 (yes, it's next Monday!).

We display Hina dolls and eat some special food to celebrate and pray for the happiness and healthy growth of girls in each household.

The main thing of this event is annual display of hina dolls. We display the dolls because there is a belief that dolls get bad spirits and bad lucks instead of girls. The dolls wear costumes of imperial court during the Heian period (794-1192) and are place on a tiered platform covered with red felt. The size of dolls and the number of step vary in each household, but every household has at least a empress doll and a emperor doll.

There are certain orders and rules to display hina dolls, such as putting the empress doll and the emperor doll on the first platform. I'm not going to write about them today because it will be too long. So if you want to know about orders and riles of display more, please look them up online or ask you Japanese friends!

We eat some special food on Hinamatsuri.

One thing we can't forget to eat is Hina-arare (rice cracker). There are several kind of it. Sweet one, soy souse taste one, deep fried one, grilled one, colorful one and so on. It depends on where you live.

And also, we eat Chirasi sushi. It is a kind of sushi, but should different from what you imagine from the word "sushi".

Hope you can enjoy Hinamatsuri even here in the U.S.!!

Have a good weekend!:)

American Southern Cuisine!

Hey, guys!

Happy Friday!

So...  how long have you been here?

If you've been here for more than a month and you have never tried southern cuisine, that's shame on you.

Just kidding.

But you should try southern cuisine at least once since you live in southern part of the U.S.

Well, I was gonna write a lot about food, but I'm too hungry to actually write.

So, I'm going to put some pictures that make you want to try some!

Fried chicken!

Fried catfish!

Pecan pie!

Barbecue!

Baked beans!

Biscuits and gravy!

Hush puppies!

Fried okra!

Are you getting hungry?

I am so hungry.

Hope all of you have a good weekend!

What are you going to do on Valentine's Day?

It's Friday! We made it!

And... Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

What are you going to do tonight?

Having dinner?

Watching movies?

Partying?

Sleeping?

Hope all of you have a good day!

What should I do on a snow day???

According to the weather forecast, there will be quite bit of snow next week. Amazing huh? Hopefully, we will be out of school. Here some activities to do on a snow day:

Having nice breakfast!

Snow ball fight

Drinking hot chocolate

Build a snow man

Catching up with homeworks

How to survive Valentine's Day

I know, you go to Walmart and the place is all heart-shaped balloons, chocolate boxes and teddy bears saying "I love you", and that makes you feel like puking rainbows. You don't have a significant other, ergo February 14th makes you feel insignificant, right?

WRONG!

Love is not just what you feel for a boyfriend or girlfriend. Love is also that feeling that warms up your heart when you speak to your family on Skype, the laughter that your good friends cause every day, the admiration a professor or classmate inspires you... There are thousands of types of love. Stop focusing on the one you lack (for the time being) and enjoy the ones you have.

Yes, I know, easier said than done. Except that... not really! Here I suggest a few ways to make the most of Valentine's Day instead of hiding under your blanket eating ice-cream and watching Bridget Jones's Diary.

- Make a list of everyone who made a difference, something nice for you in these months abroad. You'll realize you are very much loved indeed, and you won't care that much about the romantic type of love.

- Nobody is buying you flowers? Well, think you don't have to buy anything for anybody either, so you can spend that money on YOURSELF! Buy yourself some chocolate or jewelry!

- Write a Valentine's card for people you know are having a hard time. When you see the look on their faces as they say "thank you", you'll realize spreading love doesn't necessarily involve kissing.

- Throw a singles' Valentine's party. Try using decorations that are NOT red or pink, but other bright colors, and put music NOT talking about love, and messy food like wings or tacos, not sexy at all! You can even organize a sort of Secret Santa among the guests: each one of them should bring a unisex gift for exchange! Between the preparations and the actual party, before you can notice it the day will be over.

Happy Valentine's Day to my single friends too! Because we deserve it!

Yet, another snow day at UAFS

On Sunday, February 2nd, 2014 we had another big snow day in the Fort area. Everything was so white and  beautiful.

But, the best thing about the snow day was probably the fact that school got cancelled for the next 2 days. Some of us used this extra free time to catch us in some classes and also get ahead in others, some students just took it as an extra weekend to relax, play some indoor games and enjoy some family time. Anyhow it was very fun, but now it is time to catch up all those missed classed.