by Yukiko

On February 16th,I went shopping downtown and at Northtown. It was an orientation, so I didn't have enough time, but it was so exciting and there were a few surprising things in the short time. First of allm I bought a bus ticket and left for downtown. It took a short time, but in the mall there were many people and many shops. There were some shops which also were in Japan, and I felt a bit of affinity. After shopping there, I got on the bus again. In this bus,there were not only Japanese (we are about 30!) Near my seat a man and a woman sat. I thought"they are a parent and a child". However they were a couple. I was alittle surprised. Another couple kissed many times in the bus. Almost all Japanese don't dothat, so I got a little culture shock. Northtown was better than downtown. There were a lot of stores so it was fun! I had lunch with my friends, and I ordered a hamburger set for the first time in the USA. I didn't know how to get a drink, so I didn't get my orange juice. Moreover, I didn't know what to say to the clerk, so I gave up to get one. It is a bad experience. I think confectioneries are not expensive in USA. I ate ice cream(Baskin-Robbins in Japan is called 31.) It was a single cup,but it looked like a double cup for me. Moreover, it was only 2 dollars! However, I think some vegetables and fish are more expensive than Japan. My friend brought a cabbage in a supermarket. She thought it was only 99 cents, but they sold it by weight, so it cost about 5 dollars. In Japan it is half that price or less, and I was very surprised. I bought a body wash in Shadle Center, but I made a mistake. It was a body lotion. It was set near the body wash, so I assumed it was what I needed. I planned to return it, but it has already 2 weeks passed so I abandon it. In the USA, many things are different from Japan. It confuses me a little but it is also fun for me.