Spider Apocalypse

So this past weekend, I was able to go to Fushimi Inari Shrine (the shrine in Memiors of a Geisha). It was one of the places that was on my list of things to see before I left for Japan, but my determination wavered when my friend Tine told me about the giant spiders. Now, when I say giant, I don't mean the size of camel spiders of even trantulas, but I was told they were pretty big. Maybe half the size of your fist. She told me that they were everywhere and that one was crawling on a guy's leg, and all I could think was 'It's the spider apocalypse.' And it wasn't like I was going with someone that can handle spiders. No, I was going with someone who is more arachnophobic than I am. We're talking can't-look-at-a-spider-even-in-a-movie-or-videogame type phobia, so if a spider fell on one of us. I was going to have to be the one to get it off...knowing this, my interest in Fushimi Inari just soared, but I was still determined to go (despite being told by two other people that there were spiders too, so it wasn't just a one time thing).

I literally spent a half hour talking to two girls, Heather and Sarah, in the seminar house about spiders and Fushimi Inari Shrine and how its more likely for me to get killed by a refrigerator falling on me rather than being bit by a spider. Somewhere in there, there was a discussion on the uselessness of pandas and how they are a waste of money trying to save.

Anyway, before I left for Fushimi Inari Shrine the Heather I talked to about the spiders found the Heather I was going with and told her that if I was nervous about spiders falling on my head, I should take an umbrella because two other people in the seminar house went with their Japanese friend who told them that they should have umbrellas up the whole time. I hadn't told the Heather I was going with about the spiders because I knew she wouldn't want to go if I did, but so much for that! But it's actually good that she knew so we could both take umbrellas.

When we got to Fushimi Inari Shrine, we looked at a bunch of shops and I bought golden poop stickers! Golden poop is supposed to be good luck and poop is like my favorite word so of course I bought them! Then, I bought a yukata (2000 yen) and an obi (1500 yen), which I'm going to wear for the international student graduation ceremony. Now, I just need to buy the socks and sandals for it!
Right after I bought my yukata, a group of elderly Japanese came up to Heather and I and started talking in English. They were studying English and needed to practice with foreigners. They were so friendly. When they asked why we were in Japan, Heather said we were studying abroad, but they somehow thought she said bird watching. Even though Heather said we weren't bird watching, they kept mentioning it, so we think that they think we go to Kansaid Gaidai University to learn about bird watching. haha But that's ok! They gave us candy, to which Heather pointed out after we talked to them, 'Did you notice that we just took the candy unquestioningly in Japan, yet you don't take candy unquestioningly in the U.S. unless it's Halloween.?' lol Also when we were shaking hands to say goodbye, one of the women began stroking my hand and said something in Japanese to another woman, who also felt my hand. Then, a man looked at my hand because of what the woman was saying and then shook my hand. I don't know if that was a good thing to a bad thing! But it was nice talking to them!

Right after, Heather and I began our climb up Fushimi Inari Shrine with our umbrellas out, making us look like super weird gaijin (foreigners). Whenever we went up hill, I eventually got out of breath (man, I miss working out because then I know I'm in shape), but it wasn't as bad as the Great Wall. The Great Wall doesn't have breaks where the path goes straight or downhill. It's all uphill with high uneven steps. Fushimi Inari's steps were the annoying couple inch steps that were too long to take steps by two. But in all honesty, it wasn't that bad, and...we didn't see any spiders at all! Or at least I didn't. Heather said that she might have seen a few small ones, but she didn't freak out. We picked a good day to go!

Also, I can only buy Mountain Dew at select places in Japan. What a wonderful surprise it was finding that, when going through Fushimi Inari Shrine, someone was selling Mountain Dew, so I bought one (though I wanted to buy four! XD)

After we were done climbing Fushimi Inari, we went to the stores again to see if anyone was selling sandals for a yukata. One store was, but I think the sandals were for kids, but I'm not sure. Instead, at another store, I found cinnamon KitKats and bought a box (along with a bag of fox-faced cookies). The KitKats are so delicious! I want to buy more! If only they weren't $10 for twelve (mini)! It's funny because the night before, I was eating a normal KitKat and thought it tasted like cinnamon so I thought 'it would be a good idea to make cinnamon Kitkats.' Low and behold, they actually do exist (in Japan)!

After getting back to Makino Station near the seminar house, Heather and I stopped at a couple stores and asked about boxes for shipping stuff back to the U.S. (but before that, on the way to Sanko, we heard this guy playing the accordian in a park; he was awesome! I wanted to tell him that his music was good, and Heather wanted to stop to listen, but when we did, he kept looking at us so we decided to walk slowly so we could hear him longer). Anway, I have three umbrellas that are too long for my suitcase so I need so find a box long enough to fit them, and I need to find one in two weeks. The stores we went to didn't have big enough boxes, so we were planning to go to the post office today, which I was looking forward to so that I could get it over with (and so I would know where the post office was), but Heather told me that, at a store called Life, a bunch of boxes are available for people to take. So she wants to go there to see before going to the post office where you have to pay for boxes, and we're not going today. I doubt Life has a box long enough for my umbrellas, and I'm willing to pay for a box just to get it over with (I still might go to Life though), but first, I have to find someone who knows where the post office is. If I can't find a box, then I'm just going to have to try to get them on the plane. These are awesome umbrellas so I am not leaving them here. Plus, two of them are gifts. I hope I can deal with the whole shipping thing soon, which reminds me. I have to practice packing soon to see if I need to ship anything else back home as well.

Oh the joys of moving...in less than two weeks! I really don't want to go home. I'm also not going to see anyone from here (probably) ever again because we all come from different places. But I do have an incentive to travel to Europe one day because I have two friends from there now.

I am looking forward to going home though so I can see my puppy (though she's old so she's technically a dog)! And my family and my friends!

Wednesday through Tuesday next week are my finals, and I've finished my papers and my study guides so all I have to do is study for my tests, which is pretty easy. I recently got my Betraying the Martyrs: Breathe in Life CD, and I can't stop listening to it! It really helps me study.

So most of you guys are on summer break now. I hope you are all enjoying the pleasant warm weather!

Im sow sumart

Hello! It's been a while since I've updated my blog and perhaps it would have been longer if I wasn't avoiding my two final papers. My life since the last post has been both wonderful and tragic (maybe you already know from my facebook statuses), so let me begin.

First, I'll start with the most depressing story since I've been in Japan...I...was going to go to a Hanshien Tigers game with this Japanese guy that I know...I went to the spot to wait for him early since I was already out of class; however, I waited in the wrong spot, which was only a thirty second walk from the place we were supposed to meet. We didn't have each other's email so we could text, and the foolish thing on my part was that I didn't even look around that much because he had said 'next Thursday' in a conversation we had that week, but originally, he had said April 26th, which was that Thursday. So I walked back to the seminar house only to find that he had tried facebooking me...What the poop? I was so upset because I was really looking forward to the game and wanted to go to one before I left Japan. It was one of the most embarrassing moments that I've had here actually. I never mess things up like that, and I felt bad. The guy tried to pay me back the money for the ticket that I bought, but I told him no and that it was ok. I just think this guy and I are not meant to be friends because something always comes up. For instance, for my birthday party, I invited him to come and said it was on Wednesday night. He said he had a part-time job...then on Wednesday night he was hanging out at the univeristy, and when I asked him about his part-time job, he said that he didn't have it that night and was going bowling. Fancy that because that's where I said I was going for my party. He then told me that he thought I said Thursday and not Wednesday....-.-
But my birthday was rather enjoyable. I got to eat lots of Italian food and then went bowling. I even had a cake, which I wasn't expecting. Thanks, Veronica (my lovely roommate)! I also wasn't expecting to get a 21 (oh...21...haha...I get it! XD) on my first round of bowling, and like a 27 on the second round. It was wonderful really...being surrounded by Japanese girls that could actually hit the pins (unlike me) and groups of Japanese boys that really should go pro. I mean they did the pro ball curve, the lift one leg in the air move, and the 'I'm the man strut' after their billionth strike. Sometimes, they got so into it that while letting go of the ball, they would slide on their knees across the floor, and there I was with my 21 and 27. It was rather amazing.
I, being the crazy person that I am, cheered everyone at my party on their bowling, despite whether they were good or bad. I mean, come on! That just makes it all the more fun! But my friends weren't as into it as I was...*drops head in defeat* Oh well...I had fun! Oh! And we did puri kura (the cool photobooth) afterwards so I can treasure that day in my heart forever. From my friends, I got some incense, a cool duck plate, a pen with an otter charm on it, a small takoyaki plush (XD!!!), and a handmade takoyaki coupoun (=') ). I loved them all and am very thankful to my friends!
The next day, I went to Osaka Aquarium with my international advisory program partner, Miki! It was rather large and had a few sea animals that I hadn't seen before. My favorite parts were seeing the whale shark(! Oh my gosh! So cool!), the gian manta rays (<3 <3 <3 my favorite sea creature), the squid, the jellyfish (another favorite sea creature of mine), and the sea turtle (I finally saw a sea turtle in an aquarium! Normally, they're off swimming where I can't see them)! It was great. The path inside the building wrapped around the big tank (with the whale shark, manta rays, seat turlte, and other fish) so you could have a lot of chances to look.
Afterwards, I went to one gift shop and bought a small, fat whale shark plushie. XD Then, I went to a bigger gift shop and remembered that I've been on a long tedious search for finding a giant sting ray plushie. Perhaps Japan would end my search... I thought. Turns out, there was a box for giant sting ray plushies, but it was empty. Luckily, since Miki is awesome, she asked the workers at the store if there were any more giant manta ray plushies; however, the sales associate couldn't find any...The one aquarium where I find giant sting ray plushies is actually sold out of them! And it didn't make much sense...there were tons of fat, big eyed, cute mouthed seals; fat, colorful dolphins; giant turtles; and other really cute things...but no, everyone wanted the giant sting rays, which were not getting as much attention in the tank as the dolphins and seals. Thinking my search had been vanquished for the day, I walked around the store until Miki saw two people taking a giant sting ray plushie into the back storage room, and she asked about it. A few moments later, it was brought out to me, and I was like 'Heck yes, I'm buying this!" So I did!...and um...Yeah! I know 21 year olds shouldn't be buying plushies, but I've been wanting a sting ray one for so long...I had to have it! XD
Other than that, not a lot has been going on. I have finals next week and the week after and then I'll be back in the U.S.! Then, I'll be home for a month before I go to China for six months. Now, I love China and all, and I have lots of Chinese friends, but that's not going to save me when I don't know any Chinese and get lost. My plan is to cram as much Chinese into my brain as I can before I go. Lord help me!
Other small updates (that you probably don't really care about but here they are anyway): My writing has slowed considerably over the next few weeks, but I have been editing a bit and feel good about this story. I don't know if it will ever be good enough for publication, but I feel as if it has a lot of potential so we'll see. Am I allowed to talk about my own writing like that? =S I have an idea that I think is good, but I don't have the skills to write it...Must. Keep. Practicing. My second update is that I've been looking at universities in England for the possibility of getting my Master's degree in Creative Writing. I know...so smart sounding :P... I can see it now.
"What did you get your Master's in?" - Some elegant woman in a sparkly cocktail dress
"Oh, Me? (insert guffaws) I got a Master's in Engineering. How about you?" - Some tall, lanky guy in a suit
"Physics, but that was so long ago. I got my Master's by the time I was twelve." - The woman
*Both turn to me* "How about you?" - they ask at the same time (because, you know, that happens)
"I got my Master's in Creative Writing! ^.^" - Me (btw, I'm wearing a band Tshirt and jeans, just thought I'd throw that out there)
"Creative Writing? Is that like doing academic papers on the creative functions of the human brain?" - The man
"Nope! Just writing stories. It helps keep me sane. Oh, and I also critically analyze the creative works of others!" - Me
*Both give me a disturbed look and simply walk away*
Anyway, I'm still thinking and praying about it. So far, I've found one university in London, the one my friend Tine goes to, that has an excellent sounding Creative Writing program, but I kind of don't want to live in such a busy city. But if it remains the best, then I will go there. I'm also thinking of the University of Nottingham...The good thing about getting a Master's degree in England is that most are only for a year. Hooray! But I will definitely have to work for a year beforehand to save up money. That's alright with me though.
Next week, I plan to go shopping for a yukata with Miki, and I hope to go to Fushimi Inari Shrine with Heather. And I guess I should study for finals and write my final papers as well...
Anyway (again), I know a lot of you guys are free from school now. I hope you all have an awesome summer!

More random updates

The Tuesday after spring break, I had put together a small birthday party for my roommate. I invited her friends who helped me put it together. Four girls reserved the restaurant for me, and I bought the cake. It was at an Indian restaurant called New Dehli, and the people were quite nice, giving us extra nam, desert, and a free chicken appetizer. Not knowing many of the people that well, I kind of sat there awkwardly until I got my food, then it didn’t matter if I wasn’t saying anything because I was eating! Overall, things went well and my roommate had a really good time.

Not a whole lot has been going on, except that last Friday, two Japanese guys came up to my friend Tine and I while we were hanging out in the lounge before meeting two other girls to go out to eat with and to do karaoke!

“Hi, we’re students at Kansai Gaidai and want to make international friends. So let’s be friends, ok?”

That’s literally what they said before we talked for two hours straight, and I’ve come to learn that this is the process called gaijin hunting. Japanese people seek out international students to befriend them. It doesn’t matter who you are… they will attack!

Anyway, they invited us to lunch on Tuesday, and Tine and I agreed. However, Tine bailed on me because she’s not the sociable type when it comes to random people who just want to be your friend because you’re an international student so I went alone. One of the guys didn’t show up, but the other took me to a large group of his friends to talk, and at first, he wasn’t going to sit by me, but then he did. Can you say awkward? He’s the one who invited me!

Anyway, I was thinking of things to say, and immediately brought up the Hanshin Tigers, the baseball team for the Kansai region (they are the equivalent of the Cubs…not very good), and suddenly, his friends became interested in the conversation. I said I wanted to go to a Hanshin Tigers game so Koki, the guy’s name, said that we could go on April 26^th, and I’m looking forward to it! I think baseball is more popular in Japan than in the US. I read that people stand up while their team is at bat, and they have cheers for all the players…sounds crazy to me! Hopefully, it will be awesome!

For the rest of the time, I talked with Koki, and he suggested that we play catch and said he wanted to do karaoke. He also did a magic card trick for me…haha! It was interesting, but we haven't really talked a lot since then.

And now I have an update on Big Daddy…he is no longer cool in my book! He basically threatened to take away my friend Tine’s participation and attendance points (25% of the grade) just because she looked like she had a bad attitude, but she didn’t. I wanted her to tell someone because it’s unfair, but eventually, she got upset with me for pressing the issue and just wants to forget about him so I will.

On the bright side, for the past 3 weeks, I have written 36 pages to a story (all together), but I’m slowing down, and this week, I’m dedicating to editing my stories. I made a pact with my friend Kathleen from back home that we will be writing accountability partners and will encourage each other to write/ have weekly goals that we work on. This week, my goal is to edit two chapters so that they are pretty cleaned up…I’m not doing too well though. I moved to one of my older stories to edit/ I haven’t been doing a lot of editing/writing at all, which is bad on my part, but in my defense, I’ve been pretty stressed this week. Mainly over the weekend, but some of the effects of the weekend are still lingering. Also, I’m updating my blog for you lovely people.

I’m not doing a good job at writing, but as long as I keep writing and editing and working on stories then I’m happy. As long as I don’t stop, I know I’m making progress.

This weekend, I went to Osaka Castle in Osaka with a handful of people and got to see all the cool Sakura trees.  While we were there, this guy that really loved America came up to us and asked us where we were from and which states we came from. He then shook our hands saying nice to meet you. Then he said “Obama” in hopes to make us smile and asked if he could take a picture with us, and we said he could. He then shook our hands three more times and said, “You make me so happy! Have a great day!” I asked if he was drunk or something, and one of the girls said that they just think he has an obsession with America. It probably should have been a little creepy, but it was mainly entertaining.

Then we went to this restaurant called sweets paradise, where you pay 1500 yen to have 70 minutes to stuff your face with as much pasta and cake as you can. The sweets were ok, but there’s nothing like the super sweetness of American cake icing. I quickly got tired of the cakes and ate mostly pasta, which was ok, but there is this Italian restaurant that has pasta that tastes a lot better. Everyone loves the place, but I’m indifferent to it.

After that, we went to a manga store, and everyone else is buying a series in manga that is in Japanese so I decided I would do the same thing. One manga I wanted to buy, I couldn’t find; another, I couldn’t find; another, I didn’t think to look for; so I bought 12 manga books (out of the 17) for Lovely Complex which is this lovey dovey manga (which isn’t the type of manga I normally read, but I love the story). I will now proceed to give you a short description of it. The shortest guy and the tallest girl in a class don’t get along and joke about each other’s heights, and everyone in their class, including the teacher, thinks they should get together. So it’s about whether they will get together or not, and it’s pretty cute. I also find it relatable because Risa, one of the main characters, is considered to be tall and is more tomboyish…Anyway! It’s a nice manga, but I might buy another series too since the books are so cheap here. I can get three here for the price of one back in America. The only thing is that I don’t understand most of it!

It is helpful though because I practice the speed of my reading and pronunciation, and I get excited when I understand one phrase about every other page! Hopefully one day I’ll be able to understand all of it!

Finally, I went to karaoke with the girls and had a lot of fun. I’m always up for a good night of karaoke! XD

Also, I just realized I only have 4 more weeks after this one in Japan, and I really don’t want to leave! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone, but I’m going to miss the friends I made here and being in Japan. Who knows though? Japan might be in my near future (when I say near, I mean a few years at least).

Also… Also…in less than a week, I’ll be 21! Imagine that!...oh my gosh, I have to be more mature and responsible than this past year…I must do something crazy before my birthday…like dancing in public in Japan! Or dancing in public at Kansai Gaidai…I already get stared at by the Japanese students, might as well give them a show of crazy awesome dancing right? Right!

Anyway, I’m going to work on my dance routine. I hope you’re enjoying some nice warm weather!

Spring Break pt 1

Hello everyone!
It's been a while, and I know what you're thinking. Thank you, Captain Obvious! Well, how else was I supposed to start this post? Just ignoring the fact that I've kept you all waiting, some in eager anticipation, for my next post? I apologize. I don't even have an excuse to give you, but here is my next rambling...
Day one for spring break was a success. After dinner on Friday, I went with two other people to Kyoto Station to wait for the night bus that would take us to Tokyo, and since we got there early, we were able to walk around. The station was huge and crowded but awesome! We (Heather, Derek, and I) decided to go up 4 escalators that took us to the top of the station (which was at least seven floors high). On our way up, we spotted a Doraemon projection on the stairs on the other side of the station. Of course, that became our next destination. We took a tunnel to the other side and took a bunch of pictures of the exact same thing as if each picture got more exciting.
After that, we went outside and saw one of those light up music fountains and took videos until we had to take the night bus. It was an interesting experience because we got to go on the second level of the bus, which was really short by the way. The windows were covered in curtains so it was like sleeping in a small enclosed room with other people. I actually slept for a few hours.
Once we got to Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, we had to catch a train to one destination and then transfer to another with only three minutes to buy our tickets and get on the train. We literally made it with five seconds to spare. Once we got to our final destination in Fujisan, we stuffed our stuff in coin lockers and joined a tour.
First, we went to the shrine that was the original entrance for Mt. Fuji. There was snow and ice everywhere, and it rained a lot, but I got to participate in a purification ritual. At a fountain, which contained water from Mt. Fuji, there were golden ladels that we could use to scoop up water. The first scoop was used to clean your hands by pouring half on one and half on the other. Next, you pour some water into your hand to put in your mouth so you can purify it. Then you spit into a small stream of water at your feet. Finally, you get another ladel full of water and tilt it until the water pours over the handle, thus, cleaning it for the next person. At the temple, I saw one lady give an offering and pray, and there was some sort of service going on...
Second, we went to the Mt. Fuji Visitor Center, where I spent all my time at the gift shop. Hoorah!
Third, we went to the "first" step of Mt. Fuji. Normally, we would get to go to the fifth step when it's not climbing season (July and August is climbing season), but there was snow and rain so...
Then, we went back to the station to eat lunch, and we got the local specialty, hootoo. It's this huge pot of noodles with vegetables like cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and there was pumpkin at the bottom too, and the broth was just miso soup. It was pretty good! Then, we went back out for the ice cave. We had to be super careful because it was slippery outside and some parts inside. This would not be the place to go if you were claustrophobic. There was a tunnel that was so small that I got on my hands and knees until I could grab the rope to help me balance as I squat walked.
Inside, there were giant manmade blocks of ice to make it look like an igloo, and it was so icy, each step was a slip. It was nice having large, sharp icycles over our heads too! Finally, we got to the part of the cave where the natural icycles were formed, and they were pretty cool!
After that, we went to a wind cave, but we had to walk in the Lava Forest for a while to get there, which would be fine, except for all the snow, ice, and slush. At one point, the slush was so deep that everyone's shoes got soaked. My socks squished with each step. Ugh... but we got to the wind cave and could only stand outside. Only those with the right equipment and permission can go in.
Since we had more time than expected, we got to go to some awesome waterfalls. The water was so clear!
Last but not least...ok maybe least...we went to Lake Motosuko, one of the Mt. Fuji Five Lakes. It would have been nicer if I wasn't so cold! And if the weather was clearer. We couldn't see Mt. Fuji because it was so rainy and hazy.
Afterwards, we went to dinner at an American styled restaurant, and I splurged on food. I have no regrets! Especially when I didn't really get to eat for the next few days. X(
Now, before I tell you all about the next part, let me just say this. When I got to Shinjuku Station, the first thing I saw were these Japanese boys on a poster with their mouths open and rays of different colors coming from their mouths, advertising a brand of gum. I bought a pack of this gum before. It had three flavors; berry, cough syrup, and then mint. Despite the cough syrup taste, it was ok.
Anyway, after we ate at the diner, we went to 7/11, and I found the picture of the guys on folders. The box said "100 yen" so I was going to buy some to bring home...and a pack of gum for breakfasts. I went up to the counter to buy them, and the guy only charged me for the gum, so I pointed to the folders. He counted them, laughed, and asked if they were a gift, and I said yes. He still didn't change the price so I got 5 awesome folders for free! XD
Oh! Something I forgot to tell you... On the way to the "first step" of Mt. Fuji, the road played a Mt. Fuji song! You know when you get too close to the side of the road and tires make that farting noise? Well, grooves in the road were strategically placed to make a song. Part of it on the way there and another part on the way back!
The second day, we got up to do something called the "Music Forest" with automated instruments. We went to a show where a bunch of dolls and instruments played on their own. It was pretty cool...and maybe a tiny bit creepy! The rest of our time was spent in the gift shop. There were so many music boxes, and I really wanted one! But instead, I bought some for friends. There were cool ones, dancing ones, automobile ones, clocks, bags, all had music (mostly Japanese). But the coolest ones were plastic fruit that played Disney songs. Yep, only in Japan!
Oh, I also forgot to mention that, on the way to the Music Forest, we crossed one of the Fuji Five Lakes, and I'm not joking, it was like walking through a wall of gnats for a whole mile.
They were on our clothes, in our hair, flying into our noses, etc. But it was worth it because, Rachel, a girl we met on the tour, thought to look behind her for Mt. Fuji. Although it was another rainy, foggy day, we could see Mt. Fuji and got some pics. I was so happy!!! On the way back, we couldn't see it anymore, so I'm glad Rachel looked for it when she did!
I was thinking about joining the running club on campus along with Heather when we got back from spring break, so we decided that, since we were in a hurry to catch our bus back to Tokyo, we would practice running. Ha! Haha...hahahahaha...hahaha...Ha! Perhaps it would have been better for me if I didn't have a bag on my back, my gifts, and loose pants while I ran. ^.^'' We only ran once but made it to our bus.
Once we got to Tokyo, we went to our hostel where we had these awesome cabin beds that had a window and a closeable door. I want one of those in my home!
After settling in, we decided to go to eat. I really wanted to go to a Hard Rock Cafe so that was our destination, but since almost all the dishes were over $20. Heather and Derek ate pizza at another restaurant while I ate garlic bread. Then, when we got to the Hard Rock Cafe, I bought three shirts and got one free. The shirts in Japan were also more expensive...I mean come on now! :'(
Then, I ordered my meal, the cheapest burger I could get, and then a milkshake...a real milkshake! It was delicious! But I'm getting ahead of myself...before we sat down, we waited in the bar area, and experienced the craziness that is Hard Rock Cafe Roppongi...first off, everything was decorated for St. Patrick's Day, one guy even wore a red beard and a green top hat. Then, "We Will Rock You" played, and everyone, I mean everyone, stood up and started clapping to the song and singing. Then, they did the "YMCA." It was crazy awesome!
Anyway, back to the food. The hamburger was so delicious and definitely worth the $17-$19. Yeah... Heather and Derek were still hungry so they splilt a hamburger and had dessert.
Little did I know that that would be my last decent meal for a while. Boohoo!
I hope to get more about spring break up soon...and then posts about more current stuff! I hope your guys' spring break...though a couple weeks ago, was great too!

March updates

So I haven't posted in a while, but that is because I don't feel like I have a lot of interesting stuff to say, so this post will just be about specific updates.

First, tonight, I'm going to take a night bus to Tokyo with two other people. I'll get there at 6:00AM, and then I will have to find a train in the busy (I don't know how busy it will be that early, hopefully not too busy!) Tokyo station and buy train tickets within 15-20 minutes to go to Fujisan. Then, I'll be joining a tour that lasts for the whole day, and basically, it will show me popular places around Mt. Fuji. Sunday, I'll go to a music forest, and then I'll go to Tokyo. In Tokyo, I plan to go to the Roppongi Hard Rock Cafe, Disney Sea (no, not like Sea World; it's like Tokyo Disney but has more thrill rides), Tokyo Tower, Harajuku, the Oriental Bazaar, Ikebukoro/Sunshine City, and the Ghibli museum (Feel free to look them up; I will obviously post about them next week). On Thursday, I'll ride the bullet train alone to Hamamatsu to see my friend Sakura! Her family was kind enough to let me stay in their house until Saturday. Then, I will ride the shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto...then, I'll have to magically find my way back to the seminar house on my own.

This week, I had to give two presentations. One, I didn't understand what the professor wanted, and it was a complete failure, but I blame my classmates who glared at me while I was speaking. I smiled for all the other presentations, but when I went, everyone was like this >:(. Seriously, what the poop? It only made me more nervous, and I didn't even pay attention to what I was saying. I know for sure that it didn't make any sense. My other presentation for another class though was successful. The class loved it, so I was happy!

Sad news for me but probably to no one else. I found out that The GazettE is going to tour again but not until July through November, and they're coming to Osaka. I'm really sad that I'm not going to be able to see them and practically just missed their concerts. If I come back to Japan, it probably won't be for another 2-3 years at least. Sigh... I really want to see them!

Oh, I also found out that I might be able to take Phonology (it's required for my TESOL major) online in the month of June, which is great. Because if I can take Phonology, then I don't have to take six classes my last semester, I only have to take five.

The Wednesday after I get back from spring break, I have 3 midterms. I'm not studying over break, except maybe the second weekend of spring break, so we'll see how that goes. Two of them are my Japanese language classes, so I guess I'll be practicing them anyway.

One thing I was hoping to escape when I came to Japan was the Iowa weather, but it's almost exactly the same. Warm one day, rains the next day, snows the next, deceptively sunny but ice cold another day, and so on and so forth. I can't wait for it to get warmer!

I can't believe that when I get back from spring break, I'll only have 2 months left! It's so sad. :(

Side note: I made grilled cheese for the first time yesterday (I've eaten it before, but haven't personally made it myself), and it was delicious!

I'm pretty sure this blog is all over the place, and as I reread it, it is quite bipolar. Yay, spring break! Boo, presentation! Yay, presentation! Boo, I can't see The GazettE! Yay, I might get to take Phonology! Boo, I have 3 midterms! Boo, weather! Boo, I have to go home in 2 months! Yay, grilled cheese!

Anyway, I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and try to make grilled cheese. It's both easy and delicious! ^.^

The side I never knew

Last Thursday, my International Communications class started as usual with the mundane things like attendance and talking about the presentations coming up. My professor clicked on the start button on his laptop while I was staring off into space when all of a sudden my friend Tine said, "look at the name!" Of course, being in a daze, I asked loudly, "What name?"
"The name! His name on the computer!" (which is on the projector screen)
When I found out what she was talking about, I kind of wish I would have stayed oblivious, but instead of the name of my professor, he had put Big Daddy.
Now, I don't know about you, but this was quite disturbing news to me, despite the fact that I couldn't stop laughing after I had seen it. I mean, what professional professor would put that on his laptop? Personally, I think it's a little creepy, but it fits him well because he is that type of professor. You know the one who isn't married and feels the need to feel younger? (now, I'm not saying that people who aren't married are like this; he just chooses to be like this because he's not married and wants to feel younger) I don't know. It just sounds like a midlife crisis. Also, I have issues with the phrase 'Big Daddy.' Out of all the ridiculous names out there, it is perhaps one of my least favorites if not my least favorite, just because it sounds both cocky and stupid to me.
It seems that I learn something new about my Intercultural Communications professor every week. I'm worried what I will learn about him this week...or next week...
Anyway, on a much better note, I went to karaoke for the first time on Friday, and it was awesome! Why can't we have awesome karaoke in the U.S.? Basically, (at the place I go to) you pay about 600 yen for 8 hours of karaoke and free drinks (soda and juice; if you want alcohol, you have to bring your own), and there are all sorts of songs: Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and English. It's just amazing, and I hope to go back this Friday!
On Saturday, I went to make daifuku, which was pretty good! It's like this sticky dough made of rice flour and some other ingredients, and you put sweet bean paste in it. Other things were available to put in it as well if you didn't like sweet bean paste like strawberries, whipped cream, bananas, and chocolate.
When my group went into the kitchen to make daifuku, we almost made the microvave explode. There were sparks flying everywhere!...actually, it was just that the saranwrap covering the bowl touched the microwave door while the stuff was cooking, and there were a few sparks. XD Overall, it was a good experience.
Afterwards, I went with three girls that I met: Noel, Chanae, and Maura to a restaurant to eat Takoyaki! It was sooo goood!!! I got french fries, ice cream, and a drink with mine for a meal. The owner of the restaurant was so nice that he cooked us a giant plate of yakisoba, and he also made us takoyaki tacos, which were actually quite good, for free!
Basically, a takoyaki taco is two balls of takoyaki in an orange shell that looks like orange styrofoam, only it's edible and made out of rice, and then there's the sauce, mayonnaise, rice crispies, and green stuff (onions?) on top.
Then yesterday, I went to an Indian restaurant for the first time, and I decided that I really didn't like Indian food that well...but, I used to not like mexican food, and now, I like it...maybe ten years from now, I'll like Indian food. However, I was given a free mango milkshake (now, remember, milkshakes here are like milk, ice, and flavoring), so that was good!
After school, I went with Heather, Noel, and a new person Don to Hirakata-shi station. We looked for CDs again, and I got two more for a cheap price! Afterwards, we went shopping at an anime store and ate crepes! Side note: Crepes are so much better with ice cream!
After eating crepes and going to the anime store, we went to the grocery store, and I wasn't planning to buy anything until I found dumplings!!! There was a set of either 5 dumblings or 8, and I honestly had to mentally debate which to buy. Of course, I went with eight! Then, the cashier gave me two pairs of chopsticks because apparently it's supposed to be for two.  XD
Anyway, that's all that has been going on. Thanks for reading my blog, and have a good week!

Seeing your professor on the weekend

So last Friday, I had my first meeting for the International Advisory program, and I was really hoping that my university wouldn't get merged with another since there were so many participants. Luckily, when the director called out my school's name, he then read off my name and one other person named Miki (she's a Japanese student going to my university). I'm so happy to have one partner who is going to my university rather than several just going to America!
After the the opening meeting, Miki and I went to a cafe to eat. She had to choose because I don't know any good places near the school, and it turned out to be pretty great. The whole menu was Italian food. Yum! As we were talking and I was telling her about my university, I noticed a professor who lives near Seminar House 1 walk in. A few minutes later, one of the most awkward things that can happen to a student happened to me. I looked behind Miki and saw my Intercultural Communications professor chatting away with the first professor...oh dear... Now, this normally wouldn't be an awkward situation back home, but the fact that he was my Intercultural Communications professor and the fact that he kept looking at me to make sure I was "communicating effectively with a person from a culture very different from my own" made it awkward. I informed Miki, and she thought it was funny...but it wasn't funny for me...actually it was...it was just uncomfortable. XP
It was worse when Miki bowed her head to say thanks for the meal, and I copied her. But in the middle of copying her, I remembered I needed to pray for the meal so I prayed, and it looked like I thought she was praying so I mistakenly chose to pray too. I hope my professor didn't see. Luckily, he didn't say anything to me in class yesterday.
Overall, the meeting with my International Advisory partner went well, and over the semester, I'll be telling her all about UNI.
Btw, I really love Amazon Japan. Japanese and Korean CDs: they're all mine!!! XD
The other day, I heard something quite sad in the "girls' kitchen" in Seminar House 1. Some girls were talking about marriage and how people leave their spouses because their "needs" aren't met, and one girl commented on how being married for six years is a long time. What the poop?! No, it's not! 20+ is a long time. Gee Willikers, 'till death do us part' doesn't mean anything anymore, does it? And as their conversation went on, I was reminded about how shallow people can be in relationships. No thank you!
On a positve note, in my International Communications class yesterday, a Korean boy (I'm not sure what his name is) was sharing his International Advisory experience. He and another Korean boy were talking in Korean about the Japanese girl that was their partner, and they didn't say anything bad, but despite not knowing any Korean, she knew they were talking about her. Japanese girls tend to smile in uncomfortable situations, and that was what she was doing so the Korean guy thought things were ok; however, he saw that her smile dropped until she noticed he was looking at her, then she smiled again. So as the Korean guy explained this misunderstanding to the class, he said that he was worried about the girl's feelings and texted her. She was mad that he had been talking about her, and he apologized, and thus, he handled the misunderstanding well.
I just think it's sweet how he was worried about her feelings considering most guys (that I know) don't think about someone's feelings like that. Anyway, it isn't that big of a deal, but it really caught my attention so I thought I would contrast it with the story before.
Lately, I've been randomly thinking about how I'm going to have to fly all the way back to America and all the way back to China. Yay, I love long flights! *sarcasm* Long flights are perhaps one of the worst things ever. Bleh...XP
I'm looking forward to going to China, but I'm a bit nervous because I'm worried about the teaching part (for fall semester). I'll only be a teacher's aid, but I think it will help me finalize whether I truly want to be a teacher or not. I'm fine with teaching. I just don't know if I could teach continuously for a year and so on. Not to mention that I never wanted to be a teacher ever and then after three weeks of not real teaching, I was like "ok, teaching!" But if I didn't become a teacher, I don't know what I would do.
Along with that, I don't want to teach in America, I would like to teach in Asia, but I don't know where. I like China and Japan, but maybe God will want me somewhere else like Korea... or Taiwan as suggested my my crazy Chinese roommate from Malaysia (how else do I say that? \-o-/): Cally. She told me that the people in Taiwan are crazy so I would fit right in! XD
Anyway, there is me rambling along. I don't know what I want to do for sure, and I'm running out of time. I know one thing that I want to do that will probably never happen though: being an author. We'll see though.
Anyway, now that I've drifted away from talking about Japan... that's all for now...so...er...um...bye! ^.^