-How is Germany?

-Amazing!

-What have you been doing?

-So much.

 

 

 

How do you answer these questions?  How is Germany?  Is it possible to even answer, to even try to begin to describe feelings?  How can I describe what I see, what I experience?  Words fail me.  How can you expect me to describe the way the fog rolls over the river, slowly, like a blanket covering the thin line of darkness that snakes its way through the town?  Or the cold, clean, crisp air of fall on a sunny day after a week of rain and clouds?  I cannot make you understand how I feel when I realize that I am in another country on the other side of the world, where it is so different from anything you’ve ever known.  I cannot explain the antiquity of the old towns and buildings, the majestic silence of the churches combined with the hustle and bustle of everyday life and people living in a modern world.  These feelings cannot be captured with mere words or pictures. 

 

 

So how is germany?

Take the greatest, most life-changing experience in your life.  Remember the emotions, the feelings, the realizations, and imagine having that every day. 

here is how i look 7 hours after i had my wisdom teeth removed.

as you can see, christopher matsuoka, i did not get super fat like my brother.  in fact i think i did pretty good in the not swellingness.  but then again it could still swell up i guess who knows.
anyways, it doesnt hurt too much yet, i havent taken any pain killers since this afternoon so i think im doing ok.  and i love that i have been taking so many naps today.  its pretty fantastic.
and here is an asian picture:

ok, so lately it has become a new thing/hobby/whatever to send letters.  i think it is so so soooo fun to do.  and as much as i like doing that, i also love to receive letters.  so anyways, every monday, wednesday, and friday, i stop by the post office to drop off mail and/or check my mailbox... usually both.  when i do this, mandy generally comes with me, but doesnt check her mailbox because, she claims, she doesnt get any mail.
well being the awesome roommate i am, i decide it would be great fun to send her something ridiculously bulky and huge so that she has to carry it to all her classes.  being the great roommates ashley and laura are, they suggest stealing her clothes and shoes and throwing them into a big box to send her.  well, being out numbered 2-1 i decide to go with the prank.  while mandy was at work, the three of us went to work stealing her stuff.

















 






















we finished it up, hid the box in the storage closet on our porch, and i took it to the post office this morning to send it via intracampus mail.
so the moral of this story?  well, let's just say you should check your mail more often.

so today i experienced a little piece of heaven.







and because my computer skills arent that great you cant see a picture of it.  my bad.

ok, so catching up.  the last part of costa rica was in arenal.






on the way to go ziplining.













in the tram with all our stuff on.

















the view from the zipline.


we went on a tour through the rainforest and got to see a bunch of things, including this horrible bug.  the loudest most annoying thing in the world.
 





can you see the moth?





















the arenal volcano... the dust is actually lava rolling down.  its solid lava and it only looks red when its dark out.  

the viper

then we went to the hot springs




and the volcano rice... which was delicious.
















so the that ends the costa rica trip.

two weeks later, it was janelles wedding in san francisco. it was beautiful and a little different from the previous wedding.  just a little different tho...


 


nick and janelle
























and the rest of us cousins

  



me and the sister.


















oh and the highlight of the night, blake (12yrs old) was shoved onto the dance floor by nicks rather intoxicated uncle.  he ended up learning how to salsa with this lady.  lets just say the whole family was watching and laughing at him.  poor blakey!