adventures

My first week in Wheaton has just finished. I've had a lot of adventures for one week. Many more to come, I hope.

Monday was a trip to the Japanese market, Mitsuwa where Rob, Meghan, and I indulged in some miso ramen. Very authentic. I stocked up on some Japanese essentials at the grocery store.

Tuesday I had my pre-employment physical at Marionjoy. Unfortunately at the "pee on demand" section of the physical my bladder failed to give. The nurse was required to stand in the bathroom and was pacing around waiting for the sound of trickling that did not come. "Shall I run some water for you." "yes, please," I responded, trying not to laugh. I waited some more and she finally said, "you can try again in a little after drinking some water." I agreed to this sensible plan since my bladder was no closer to letting out a stream of urine after 5 minutes of listening to running water. I drank 4 cups of water, visited the HR lady, got a tour of the hospital, received a TB test, and then attempted to "pee on demand" again. She immediately started the water for me and after a short delay I had what she was waiting for: a half a cup of warm, yellow liquid. But I felt very proud of that liquid. After a pleasant walk to downtown Wheaton, some lunch at a deli, and discovering the whereabouts of the post office and bank, we went grocery shopping. The evening was "French Tuesday" where I joined some of Meghan and Robb's friends in eating tater tots and talking.

Thursday's adventures included Little India. The district of Chicago that is... very Indian. I went to an Indian worship service where Jesus is worshiped in traditional Indian manner. It was quite beautiful to see a group of Indian men and women and children worshiping the Lord in chants and music so close to their culture. I love that God is the God of all nations. I enjoyed a Jewish lunch along with some new friends from the "friendship center." The Jewish district is a few blocks from Little India. The most interesting thing was going into an Indian grocery store. I do not often go into a grocery store where I am absolutely clueless what 50% of the merchandise is and can only guess at what 90% of the merchandise is used for. The smells were pungent and unparalleled.
That evening I joined some other students and former students for a dinner and game night. The couple whose house we went to are going as missionaries to Japan in a year. It was fun to talk with them and tell them about Japan as I know it. I love meeting people with the same heart and desire to see Japan come to know Jesus.

Friday was a trip to IKEA which is nice and close. I have to get used to the toll roads though. I got an ipass which allows me to speed on through the toll booths and it deducts money from my pass account. I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet. Dorothy drove us to IKEA and I counted change for the tolls. We loitered around IKEA for a while and purchased some organizational items for the office. After some yardwork in the afternoon we sat down to watch "Lark Rise to Candleford." A BBC series, now out on DVD, that is quite entertaining. We watched 4 episodes with a break for dinner thrown in there.

Saturday we went to the farmer's market. I got a stock of fruits and vegetables. Among these was eight-ball-zucchini which we stuffed with feta, spinach, tomatoes, basil, and onions and baked for dinner. Rob, Ian and I created a wood pile in the back with the wood that was stored in the garage. This created a nice walkway in the garage and opens a little more room for bikes. That's the other thing I've been enjoying: riding my bike!

Rob and I rode our bikes to church today (Meghan is at a wedding in Georgia). I went to Church of the Resurrection, also known as Rez. It was a very lovely service. This evening I was craving anko. I drove to Super H Mart- the Korean market and looked around so I would know what was available since it is much closer than Mitsuwa. There is quite a bit available there that I can use for Japanese cooking. I got mini anman that can be steamed or mic'ed. This satisfied my craving for tonight. :)

Well, here comes a new week! Tomorrow starts the official graduate school!