Sports day

Today we went to a sports day at the elementary school near our school. I'm still not sure if it was for the elementary school or for the community... In any case, it was a lot of fun.
We were actually allowed to participate in a lot of the events, which made it a lot more fun! There were also a lot of little kids running around that were really adorable!
When we first got there, we were asked to do a "hockey relay," which I was really nervous about doing, because I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of all of those Japanese people, but it wasn't too bad. We just had to hit a ball into a white thing with a flag and then run back. The SYA team still lost, but it wasn't a terribly embarrassing loss...
After that was this event for... umm... older people... which for some reason we were asked to participate in. We were like the only people there who were under like 60... We stood in two lines of like 40 people each, and there were these really big pink balls that we had to pass down the line, and then back up, and which ever team got it back first won. My team lost both times :/
After that was the big relay race. I don't even know why I had to do it... it was embarrassing... we had to start with an elementary schooler (we had Kanto-kun, who is Shelby's host brother, and he is really adorable!) And then it alternated between boys and girls. The SYA team was like a lap behind all of the other teams... we lost miserably...
Then there was this relay thing where a pair at a time would run out holding hands, and then one person would throw a tennis ball. The ball would have to bounce inside a hula hoop, and then be caught by the other person, standing in another hula hoop.
Then there was this relay sort of thing for families of three (it was supposed to be for mother, father, and child), but we of course couldn't do that, so we just got in groups of three, and decided who would be who in the family. I was on a team with Suet-yee (the father), and Kanto-kun (our child). We didn't do too badly I don't think. The child had to run, and then crawl through one of the spaces in a sideways ladder. When he hit the mother's hand, she would step in a hula hoop, bring it over herself, and then do that for a second hula hoop, and run to hit the father's hand. The father dribbled a ball down the track until the finish line.
Then there was tug of war, which I learned in Japanese is "tsunahiki," That was a lot of fun, and our team won both times! We high-fived a bunch of people around us. Tug of war is not easy...
Also, we got stuff every time we participated in anything. I got... a pencil bag, some cookies, a compass (like for drawing circles), a jump rope, a notebook, and some colored pencils. I'm fairly certain that all of the prizes I got were the ones intended for children, some of my friends, however, were not that lucky... Since adults also participated in everything, there were a lot of adult prizes also. Among them: Clothespins, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and dusters. I am being totally legit, I even have pictures of Hunter and Marius holding up their prizes after their 50 meter dash. It was very amusing.
After the festival, Suet-yee and I got a ride to the station from Fukutomi sensei, and we met one of the board members there (aka shelby's host dad), they had to sort out some stuff with a bicycle that was left at the station that belongs to suet-yee's former host family. After that was sorted out, Suet-yee and I met up with Helen and Shelby at a pizza place on the 7th floor of the station, because I didn't get lunch (there was nothing vegetarian), and Suet-yee only had like half of a lunch. Our dinner was way too huge though. We got one of those set things, and we got a salad, a bowl of pasta, pizza, and jelly for dessert. I was about to explode...
After that, we went to the basement of the station where there is a super market to buy some food to make for dinner tonight for my host parents. While in the super market, we ran into Fukutomi sensei, who had already gone to Suet-yee's former host family's house, returned the bike, and retrieved Suet-yee's two missing bags, which were waiting in her car. So we finished our shopping, and then waited for Fukutomi sensei, and then we helped her bag up her groceries and carry them to her car, where we got Suet-yee's bags.
Then we said goodbye to Shelby, and went to catch our train home. It was a little weird riding trains carrying produce, but since we took a later train, and it was a sunday, the second train wasn't as crowded as usual! :)
When we got home, we made dinner for my host parents. And by "we made dinner" I mean that Suet-yee made dinner, and I helped by doing whatever she told me to do. She made vegetable stir-fry and seaweed soup. It was delicious. But I was still really full from our pizza meal, so I like couldn't eat. Suet-yee kept making me eat more though... and it was really delicious, so I guess it was okay. After that we ate some peach which we bought at the super market. And oh my goodness, peaches are so expensive! We bought two of the, and they were like 700 yen together. I mean they were big, but not like $4 worth of big... But peaches here are unbelievably delicious, so it was worth it. And after the peach, we ate these little cake things that they tried to feed us saturday night, but we were too full, and then this morning, but we were in a hurry, so we couldn't. I had a strawberry one, and not only was it adorable, but it was sooo delicious!!!!
And now I think I'm going to die... I don't think I can ever eat ever again!