Day 1: cleaning and making space at my grandma's apartment, grocery shopping. Without a phone or Internet, and my grandmother who is getting increasingly negative with age, it really hit me that my joy and satisfaction has to be in the Lord alone. I read Crazy Love by Francis Chan on the plane and haven't stopped thinking about if I love Jesus or if I love his blessings.First evening:

Day 2: filled out paperwork at the civic center but it's Labor Day so I'll go back Monday when the main office is open. I went to a department store to send a gift to my grandma's friend, compared phone services and bought a phone. I'll have unlimited Internet and tethering for my laptop. Since smartphones are standard for everyone here, it's (maybe the only thing besides nattou) cheaper than the states per month. The people I spoke with were very kind, and I got a free phone, discounted monthly bill, waived setup fee, and a free charger (everyone buys it separately, weird...). Praise God for his kindness through these people.

I love this!! (Nattou, or fermented soy beans)

Day 3: I went to find out about museum jobs and an old man gave me a ticket to a special exhibit ending tomorrow so I went there too. I did some grocery shopping (the fridge is a dorm fridge size) at a crazy outdoor market that made me feel like i was back in Hong Kong, and made dinner for my brother Noah, grandma, and me. Noah brought my other suitcase and is going to go explore some churches with me tomorrow. I'm grateful for such sweet siblings.

I feel like an official resident with my phone and suica card (like oyster, clipper octopus, prepaid public transit cards)