today i went to shinjuku to buy art supplies. i switched trains effortlessly although i was the only one obsessively checking the map and then looking up to see what stop was next. no really. obsessively. now the problem lies in exiting the train station. i had to find sekaido (the art store) using a pathetic unspecific map. quickly i figured i was heading the wrong way but decided to enjoy the walk instead of give in to frustration. hooray for what i like to call "information stops" that can be viewed frequently when walking on busier streets. simply a map of where you are and some of the surrounding area. after walking for what seemed like an eternity and getting tired and hungry (is the roommate wondering where i am? is she eating the dinner we discussed making already?) i decided to give up and upon walking back to the station there it was.......sekaido! haha. but the journy was far from over. i spent a good hour in there picking up art supplies which is a long time because it takes at most 20 minutes to pick up the same in the states, also cheaper. stupid tokyo so expensive!! i'm shaking my fist!!! 80 bucks got me minimum MINIMUM supplies. the sun had set while i was shopping and tokyo is phenomenal at night. when i got back my roommate and i cooked a fabulous dinner of vegetables, bought at the newly discovered "market" (it's not a market but it's not a grocery store) near our housing, and rice. we agreed that the cooking gets progressively better but i give all the credit to her for knowing more about asian cooking than i do. sorry for the lack of photos. i promise i'll have some good stuff soon. probably after this weekend...i hope. whatever i have 3 months. enjoy the anticipation. :) oh and i'm totally making some of the recipes i've learned so far and then some when i get back to the states. get ready mom! can you believe i ate eggplant and enjoyed it? yeah me neither. anyway the high point of today was realizing i'm no longer afraid of the trains and am comfident to get around by myself with no one there to hold my hand. now all i have to do is learn japanese. ha!! what a slow and frustrating process!