I remembered the first few days of the trip when we were really hoping for snow, these thoughts and feelings are now pretty much sent to back of my head as relentless snow poured down since last night and it is still going strong. The conditions were freezing when I woke up and a check outside the window confirmed the weather forecast yesterday predicting snow today. The first sight that greeted me was a snow covered Ron chan's car. I slowly peered further away and found all the houses, cars, trees, roads, basically everything in a sea of white. It looked beautiful in a way, and the feeling that the atmospehere gave was a peaceful one.

Ron chan needed my help to help shovel the snow so that the car can make its way out of the parking area. I agreed without hesitation and put on the toughest gears in my posession. Snow was swirling around in the air due to the strong gusts of wind blowing. The depth of the snow was at an incredilble 33cm. It was quite difficult to walk around, it was a little like walking through water. Ron chan then handed me a shovel and told me where to shovel and where to leave the snow at. This was the first time I actually seen Chihiro's Black Nissan March too but its all white now. LOL. Ron chan and me were accompanied by a few other neighbours engaging in the same activity.

It was pretty challenging though. Its extremely cold and the snow cover was so thick! Luckily I was strong! LOL. I worked hard peeling the ice of the surface of the road and after a while, Chihiro came out and tried to clear the snow around her car. I realised she was preparing to go out, so I lent her a hand first. I brushed the snow and helped moblize the front and rear windscreen wipers which became stuck in the snow and ice. Then she went in and tried to move her car and this was when I truly realise the importance of shovelling the snow as 2 of her wheels simply spun stationarily in the snow. But we got it moving in no time though and she away she went.

Ron chan ushered me in after what I felt was an eternity outside. LOL. I didn't really felt that cold at that moment because I was engaged in a pretty physically demanding activity. I cleaned myself from the snow and found my boots filled with snow. I quickly brushed them off before they melted and flood my boots! We spent a little while more at home before heading out to Kira's place. Its Onsen day today! Mebae will not be joining us on this trip as she is having fun at the Ski school.

Everyone was at Kira's place when we reached. The Teine-Go-Nin together with Kira, her 2 kids, Miyan's husband and their 3 kids and Ron chan on this Onsen trip. 3 cars and 13 Onsen hungry people embarked on this highly anticipated journey. The journey was really an adventurous one though. The heavy snow greatly hindered visibility and the strong winds originating from the Sea did not make things any easier. There were times when it was just a mist of white in front of us. Speeds of 30-40km/h was the maximum we went.

Everyone arrived safely nonetherless which was the most important. We hurried inside the buidling to escape the snow and cold. We bought tickets, mine was courtesy of Ron chan, to go into the Onsen. The males and females then split up and went to the respective changing rooms. We changed out, or rather, simply undressed ouselves and stuffed all our things into 1 big locker.

The interior of the Onsen was simple and spacious. There were 2 main pools, with water at different temperatures, 1 jacuzzi pool and 1 cold pool. There was a sauna as well to complete the facilities available. It was however totally disappointing as the outdoor Onsens were closed due to the bad weather. The outdoor Onsens supposedly boasts of 3 levels complete with a clear view of the sea. We were naturally disappointed. Well, what to do, we made do with the indoor ones and spent about an hour soaking ourselves in the warmth of the Onsen. It was relaxing and invigorating nevertheless.

After taking a shower and dressed ourselves up, we went back outside and relaxed at a open carpet area with tables. Its lunch time! We scritinized hard at the menu to see what was on offer. A shioyu Ramen set meal attracted me partly because of Kira'a influence too. There were kid's meals which included Mickey Mouse stuffs too, and they were ordered for Haru and Asa who couldn't finish them. LOL. The amount of food did not trouble us though and we cleaned the whole tray of the food. Some us went for the massage chairs and it was very good indeed.

We took a group photo after everyone had their fill and then left the place. With Wai Kit around, photo sessions is a must and so we spent a while outside the Onsen taking photos. All of us went back to Kira's place to regroup except June who left with her host daddy. Yuka arrived to pick up Linghan and I left with Ron chan after a while. Ron chan informed me that the family's cousin will be in town to visit.

The cousin, Satoshi (should be correct) came shortly after we returned. Ron chan introduced us to each other and I introduced myself using the same photos I showed to Ron chan on my first night here. I've got the hang of doing this kind of things already. LOL. He is a elementray school teacher and the cool thing is, he can speak some English. So I did not have much of a problem communicating even though its our first meeting. I introduced Facebook to him and showed him the photos on my page. I showed him and Ron chan the ESPZen site which is a soccer league in Singapore and of course I was playing for a team in the league, why else would I show them that right, LOL. I though that would be something to chat about since they all like soccer.

I continued to fix Mebae's Hi-Kara (her mini karaoke christmas present) meanwhile. I finally got the website to work and tried to download a song and it worked! I then tried to play the song on the Ki-Kara box itself and it went as smooth as silk. I announce the good news to Me chan and she was so delighted whch made me felt good as well. To finish off the whole thing so that she can do it herself next time, I taught her the whole process of downloading the song and transferring the cartridge to the Hi-Kara box. Finally a load off my mind, I was so worried the dump website still won't work and all. And that was my gift to Mebae before the homestay ended. She was pretty smart too, 1 demostartion and she could do it all by herself. She went on to try out her favourite song and she was so into the whole karaoke thingy that it was so cute. There was a score after each attempt.

While we were in the living room, Ron chan was preparing a Genghis Khan feast for us. She laid out the electric pan and the food on the table in the living room. The meat which I believe to be mutton are simply delectable. There were sausages, vegetables, mushrooms and onions to go along with it. Satoshi, Naoto, Mebae, Ron chan and me tucked in like a pack of wolves in the presence of raw meat. Then Chihiro returned and brought along with her some Udon. She too joined in the feast. There were plenty of meat to go around. We had a great time self-grilling the food and enjoy each others company. This marks another first for me - the first time I had the company of the whole family dining together with me plus a cousin as well. LOL. Me chan was busy still attempting more tries with her Hi-Kara. Everyone was amused with how focus and serious she was singing into the mic. LOL.

After dinner, I helped to clear up and tidy up the place. Then I went back to my room to retrieve the handmade Japanese New Year card which I made before I came. I presented the card to Ron chan which she accepted delightfully. We took a family photo together with the card. Chihiro gave a belated Christmas present too which was a pair of purple and white wool socks. It was really nice of her and I'm sure it'll prove to be useful in the future. I took a photo with Satoshi before he left and together with Chihiro as well together with the present.

Chihiro tried out the Hi-Kara and got the same score as Mebae. Didn't know the little gift could create so much fun. Wonderful. Naoto was addicted to his FIFA 2009, which was his present, on his PSP most of the time. I went back my room later into the night and packed my luggage. Yes, this was the last night remember? I was totally reluctant to pack my stuffs man. Having grown into the culture and the daily routine of the family, I felt attached to the place. This is certainly one of the best eperience I've ever had in my life. No regrets or whatsoever on participating on this homestay trip. Totally worth it and better than what I imagined. Thanks to Ron chan and all the Japanese friends for making me feel so welcomed and so at home. Well, I understand that all good things must come to an end. I will definitely appreciate this experience which certainly has enriched my life.