Another one of those days... and singing-dancing-penguin-Christmas tree!

Yesterday it seemed like no matter what I felt like a stupid foreigner at every turn. Just little things - like the little old lady on the train who barely came up past my waist and kept glaring at me. Or the clerk at the post office who decided my Japanese skills were non-existant and so proceeded to speak to me as if I were a three-year old with hearing problems. (I had a brain fart and couldn't remember why I had walked into the post office in the first place) Or being left out of conversations all day, like the one about pop idols from the 80s.

Of course, my brain was not plugged into its langauge socket either, so everytime I tried to say anything I seemed to be searching for words which frustrated me and getting frustrated I ended up making stupid grammatical mistakes. Being largely stupid mistakes I wouldn't normally make, I noticed them and got even more frustrated with myself.

Gargh.

I know these days happen when you live in a foreign country and communicate in a language that is not your first. Most of the time it doesn't bother me. But when I'm under stress and exhausted... Sigh.

So I came home yesterday, after my long, exhausting day. There were two parcels waiting for me. One was a book I ordered for my thesis - which is pretty exciting (its in English instead of the German one I've been using, and no, I haven't taken German since first year of university!) But there was also a parcel from a good friend in Canada and this...


I LOVE penguins. This little guy sings, dances, and ensures that I have a Christmas tree in my room to give me a little holiday spirit... Yeah. It TOTALLY made my day.