Study Abroad or Japan here I come

So things are falling together for my application to the USAC program which will allow me to study abroad in Nagasaki, Japan. I passed the initial application and was accepted into the program. Now I'm just trying to get all of the paperwork in. In order to go to Nagasaki I first have to:

a) Obtain a passport (yay! Just recieved it in the mail yesterday)
b) Fill out the application for the Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies (still working on that)
c) Obtain two letters of recommendation from important people who can vouch for you
d) Have a health exam, complete with x-rays...
e) Figure out financial stuff...hooray for student loans
f) Figure out housing arrangements

You would think that this is all straight forward, but here's the twist. I'm married and my husband is also going with me in the USAC exchange. I am still waiting to hear exactly where we will be staying. Normally the choices are a homestay (you stay with a family, a great way to get imersed in the culture) or a dormatory. Here's the problem, there aren't very many married couples who go and they aren't sure if a homestay will allow us to stay together. If we have to stay in a dormatory they are not co-ed. So there is a chance that we won't be able to stay together for several months while we are there. I am really hoping that they will find a homestay that will accept both of us...I am still waiting to hear back.

University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC)

Suikawari Watermelon Game

Yesterday the UNR Japanese Talk-Talk club took it's annual trip to Lake Tahoe. It's been a long time since I've spent time at Sand Harbor, and the biggest thing I remember is sunburns. This trip, however, was really fun. There was a great mix of American and Japanese students as well as other cultures mixed in.

It was mostly fun in the sun, swimming, playing in the sand and eating. But there was one great Japanese activity we did which is called suikawari. Much like a pinata, the watermelon is placed on the ground, a person is blindfolded, spun around and given a bat or stick. The spectators then yell out right, left and forward in Japanese to help the person find the watermelon. Each person gets one try to smash it. The point of the game is to smash the watermelon enough that it can be broken up and given to everyone to eat. It can be much easier and more fun than just cutting it open.

Creature Feature

I went for a walk down by the Truckee River today. They have the coolest fountain with metal sculpted animals. Each animal is native to our area, and are often seen in the desert. My favorite is the coyote and the quail.

Timeless Crafts

This summer I went to the Valhalla Renaissance Faire in Lake Tahoe California/Nevada. I usually go every year because I love to dress up and experience the whimsy of a time long gone. My favorite part of the faire is the numerous people practicing traditional fiber arts. It is not unusual to see many people knitting, spinning, weaving, embroidering, sewing or creating lucet cords.



I myself enjoyed a bit of knitting on my cardigan called Vonica. The yarn I was using was Cascade 220 Sport in a natural color, 100% Highland Peruvian wool. Combined with wooden needles, this yarn is great for an in-period craft.




I had a really great time at the faire this year. The faire is filled with plays, musical performances, yummy food, craft and trinket booths and a general atmosphere of revelry. And although it rained the first weekend, I still had a blast all four days.







Valhalla Renaissance Faire

It looks like a Yukata

So, I've mostly finished my yukata, all except the bottom hem. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I tried to be as clean with the finishing as I could. I don't have a serger so I did a small zigzag stitch on all the seam allowances before I trimmed them. As far as I can tell it fits just fine, the sleeves are just a bit longer than I wanted, but nothing too terrible.



I already have a vintage obi I use with my other yukata. It has a pre tied drum bow that clips onto the back. Very handy, and it looks great. I think it goes really well with this yukata. I won't know for sure how everything looks until I try it on, but it can be difficult to put on a yukata properly so I haven't done it yet.



I'll be wearing it to the summer festival in a few weeks, so we will have to see how it looks then. Otherwise I'm really happy with this project! It was super easy and fun.

A Splurge

I couldn't resist buying two skeins of Lorna's Laces hand dyed sock yarn in the Mt. Creek color-way. It called my name and I succumbed to its dark temptation. This is one of the nicest yarns I've bought to date, I am slowly working my way up.



The colors are so pretty and I've decided to knit it into a Daybreak shawl by Steven West. I'm still deciding on the second yarn (the pattern uses two colors) but I have some ideas. I have a feeling that I'm really going to like working with this yarn.

Spunky Bag

My current crazy quilt design is evolving out of a desire to do something less Victorian and a little edgier. I really liked the brown fabric with the teal polka-dots especially when paired with the other fabrics. I tried to keep everything coordinating even though some of the prints are a bit crazy.




All of the quilt fabrics are cotton fat quarter panels I have picked up here and there and added to my stash. I think most of them I only paid $.99 for and I'm only using a small part of each panel for a small project like this. It's a great sewing craft for someone on a budget.

The lining will be this great silky snakeskin print that I backed with interfacing to make it more manageable. And the back is a chocolate colored faux leather. I haven't decided on the type of straps yet, or the embellishments.

I was thinking about bordering several of the edges with lines of seed beads. I'm not sure if I want to use embroidery on this one. I think I might want to keep the pattern as a focal point rather than an embellishment.