It was Kana's birthday yesterday. In her email this morning, she said she'd got a lot of cards and presents from her host family, friends on the school bus and classmates and then from the other girls she is in the show with. She'd also got 4 birthday cakes! Now I know why she isn't homesick!

I think she's settled in a lot easier than the other girls that went to the same school. One of them is on her 2nd home-stay and is wanting to change again (the advisor has said that she can't so I expect it wasn't so much a problem with the home-stay family as the girl herself) and another girl doesn't seem to be making an effort to join in when they all speak English. Sometimes I think Kana feels torn between wanting to talk to the Kiwi girls but also not wanting to leave the other girl on her own. Her show has it's closing night tonight so no doubt there will be have a party afterwards.

On the home front, Aya has started to look for a job here and I think has applied to a Police Hospital but am not sure what the job entails. I think she is quite happy with her decision to stay in Osaka although she said she was dreading the heat of the summer - aren't we all! Even though she is here with us, we still see very little of her and most nights she eats out with friends and is rarely home before we are all in bed.

Lisa is enjoying her part-time job and I just hope she is going to Uni as well! She says she is but knowing Lisa ........
I doubt we'll see her before June 1st when we have the ceremony for Setsuo's mother. There will be all of us, all of S's sisters family, his brother, Aunt and Uncle and cousin and wife. After the monk has finished, we'll all go out to the same restaurant as we did last year. After this ceremony, there won't be another one for a few years.