day 42 - Classes and paying insurance

Hey everyone!
Just a quick post for you all.

Today was a pretty uneventful day.
I had my Comprehensive Japanese 4 lesson from 9am to 12:10pm.
We had a test (as usual) on Kanji at the beginning of the lesson. We then covered this week's grammar and finished with discussing our essays that we did for homework.

Last Wednesday's lesson was cancelled due to a typhoon which is why we spent some time going over the essays that we did for homework. I think the essay was supposed to be done in the lesson that was cancelled hence we were given it for homework. I thought I had gotten off the hook until our teacher on Saturday (yes, lessons on a Saturday!) told us that we had to do it as homework! What a downer!

I needed to pay for October's insurance so after my lessons I dashed to the post office.  You can pay for your heath insurance at post offices and I think you can also do it at convenience stores!

The health insurance booklet that was delivered to me in the post but all I needed to do was queue at the heath insurance window and then show them the book and they knew what forms needed filling out and how much needed paying. With very stunted Japanese I managed to convey that I wanted to pay the health insurance and was given the option to pay it all at once or just for this month. As tempting as it was to go nuts and spend all my money on insurance, I held off and paid for this month only.

I then asked them for some help (poorly) on how to check my balance for my Japanese bank account and eventually was told that I did have a PIN so I could check at a cash machine (I thought the card didn't have a PIN).

After checking my balance I returned to my dorm and gave them my bank details as they needed it so that I can pay my rent.

With all the boring chores done I could go back to my room and eat lunch!

Power Udon!!!

 For lunch I chose to have this Mochi (rice cake) Udon!

mochi, kayaku and the soup base

All the toppings added to the dried noodles

The finished ramen!

This ramen was pretty nice the kayaku absorbed the soup flavour and was a nice addition to the bowl. The mochi had a really nice chewy consistency but the flavour was plain (as to be expected). The noodles were thick with a good feel to them. This was a good bowl of instant ramen, the soup flavour was tasty and the additions made it more interesting.

After lunch I started my Kanji revision for tomorrow's test.

I was pretty naughty today. I had lots of Kanji to learn for the test tomorrow and I always snack when I am revising for tests! I bought this yesterday for only around 30p It was a nice snack. I'm not sure if it would be enough to eat for lunch on its own but as a snack or with something else it would be fine. 

The wrap had cheese and herbs on top and on the inside it had ham and the ever-recurring egg mayonnaise. And I know I am being judged by some of you but hey! The stomach wants what it wants!

For dinner I was naughty again! As I was studying I didn't want to have to take time out to cook so I heated up this pasta dish. It was pretty cheap from Don Quixote and the pasta I tried from this brand before was nice so I thought I would try a different flavour this time. 

Butter sauce with spinach and bacon

The sauce and bacon was really nice but I have never really liked spinach (and apparently still don't). It wouldn't stop me from getting the meal again though as it was pretty good aside from that.

Starting to feel guilty now, I shouldn't share my piggery with you all! But hey, the damage has been done. After dinner I had this special edition pumpkin ice cream (another Halloween special!). I had been waiting for ages to eat this in the hopes that I would find time to watch a film at some point during the one day I have off but alas it was not to be so I gave in!
The ice cream was really creamy with a pumpkin flavour. The pumpkin flavour was not really strong but there were pumpkin ripples inside which had a stronger flavour. Overall it was a really nice ice cream but I don't think that if I were to have tried it without knowing what flavour it was, that I would have been able to tell that it was pumpkin ice cream.

Well I best end things here as I have my test tomorrow.

See you later!