Been here - done that!

Now that we've been here over a year we are beginning to experience events for the second time around. Over the last couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about how I felt last year as we were taken around to the various harvest festivals and events.
On Saturday there was a matsuri (festival) at the rehabilitation centre in Kitayuzawa. It was the same festival that we went to last year when Joisan won the Hello Kitty towel in the Bingo and we tasted deer burgers and met Ato-san for the first time. Last year I remember feeling so overwhelmed and isolated by my inablility to communicate with anyone. Everything seemed so scary then! One year later and everything has changed...
This year Ian helped Ato-san at his booth making burgers and hot chocolate and yaki-soba. This year we all won something in the Bingo - some veggies, some stationary and a towel. It was fun to be part of it for the second time around. I enjoyed having friends who I could visit with there (my friend Natsumi had a booth selling her special organic baking) and I am enjoying having a knowledge and understanding that I didn't have last year.
On Sunday I went swimming (4th week in a row) and then we had a pretty lazy afternoon. Taran and Ian were supposed to go participate in an air-soft game but it was pretty rainy so it was called off. On Monday, while Joisan was at dance, Ian and I went for a long walk around the waterfront and breakwater in Date. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people out fishing.
That's all for this update but I will be posting on Friday all about our little holiday to Hakodate!