Collecting

Yukine and I have been taking walks around our new neighborhood. Here are some of the things we have been finding...

This pine cone fell out of a tree right in front of our eyes! It is quite large and it made quite a noise as it crashed to the ground from the very tall tree it fell from. I was so happy to witness it's decent.

The lighter pink berries are actually peppercorns that we picked from a pepper tree. These trees are all over and they are dripping with peppercorns. When you crush the peppercorn it is so fragrant and fresh! I didn't even know that pepper grew on trees.

I have been fascinated by the different kinds of trees and plants we have been seeing. It is so different than Japan.

We are in San Diego!

Hello! TeDe blog has been sleeping for quite some time now but I think it is finally waking up. For those of you checking in, thank you! I know 6 months is a long time to wait for a post. I will be more consistent in the future. From now on I, Kristina, will be writing this blog, as well as the Japanese TeDe blog. My kind teacher has agreed to help me translate my English writing into Japanese. It is a good way for me to keep studying Japanese while I am away.

So, we have arrived in San Diego! It has been 5 weeks since we arrived and we are slowly starting to settle in. My first impression of the city is that it is big. We live on the south side of the city, our town is called Chula Vista. Mexico is quite near, only 20 minutes by car. There is so much city to explore and we have hardly even started.

I finally made it out to see the ocean. This picture is from Ocean Beach. As I was walking up to the beach I was struck by the smell of the ocean. It was lovely. The air is so fresh and invigorating. For the first time since I arrived here, I really felt like I live near the beach! It was pretty late in the day when I came, but next time I want to walk all the way down the beach to the end of Ocean Beach Pier.