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! ^.^
2.23.2012
Mini updates
So I haven't posted in a while... this is because nothing too exciting has been happening. There are just a few small interesting things that I would like to talk about.
One of them being that one of my professors got a haircut and dyed his hair...now, this might seem like a normal thing, but what makes it interesting is that his hair was more of a reddish color rather than his natural brown color, so it was completely noticeable, but what would make even those who are oblivious to their surroundings notice is the fact that his whole stature and energy were completely different. He was not only more confident but also more excited and tried to talk like us undergrads (think of those TV scenarios where a dad says cool to fit in with his children rather than saying groovy). His self esteem was at its peak. It was actually quite amusing (not in the making fun of someone way). Good for him! My friend Tine (Tina) from Germany thought it was funny, and she also thought that his hair looked better before the hair dye. But if he feels better with dyed hair then...ok!
The next thing I want to talk about are the birds in the area. Most of them sound human and not in a good way. There's a bird that sounds like its screaming and being tortured, another sounds like a wailing baby, another sounds like someone moaning, and there's some other noises, but I can't quite think of them at the moment. Anyway, its a little disturbing when, while you're walking, you hear a bird that sounds like a screaming human being. >.<
Last week or so, I signed up for something called the International Advisory Program, where I'll be partnered with Japanese students who want to go to my university or other universities in the Midwest, and I will tell them what they need to know about the American culture, lifestyle, and academics. The opening meeting is tonight, so I'll know more about the program, and I'll meet my group. One of the heads of the program said that the meeting would end just in time to go out with my 'new friends.' It's a good thing I didn't already make plans! I think it will be fun, but I hope we don't go anywhere too far because I have to walk back to the seminar house when we're done (most likely alone, and it's not the dark I'm worried about its the possibility of getting lost part). Anyway, I will probably post an update later on how it goes.
Btw, I recently tried Amazon Japan, and Omgosh! I love it! XD The used things are so cheap online compared to in the stores (unfortunately, you can only get stuff if you live in Japan). I bought 4 CDs. One The Gazette CD for $15 (It would probably be $22 in a used store), another for $6 (which I already bought at a store for $23), a W-inds. CD for $3, and a Super Junior CD for $12 (which would be about $30). Yay! ^.^ I'll probably post whether they are in a decent condition or not...
Today, I got my cash card for meals, and I went to get a balance inquiry, but most of the receipt is in kanji so I have no real way of knowing how much I have. I will have to look at the materials I got to see if the amount is on there, but hallelujah! I don't have to spend $40 of my own money per week for groceries! ...Yes...Japan is expensive...
I'm so excited that I know hiragana and katakana pretty well now! I'm looking forward to learning kanji (which will take me forever and a day to learn)!
I apologize that there isn't a lot of story telling in this one...maybe after tonight, I will have some more stories to share!
Also, I love my Monsters, Ghosts, and the Making of Japan class because we watch horror movies sometimes! XD
Midterms will be here in about two weeks already...which means spring break will be here in three!!! Some people I know are planning to fly to China for spring break, and all I can say is wow! Good for them! Tine asked me which city in China I would recommend: Beijing, Shanghai, or Hong Kong. Since she wants more historical sites, I suggested Beijing (I haven't been to Shanghai and Hong Kong has a lot of Western influence). I hope she enjoys China!
I plan to go to Tokyo for break. I don't really want to stay for the whole week, maybe four days so I can go to Tokyo Disney and see the old and new part of Tokyo. My roommate wants to go for the whole week and Heather doesn't know how long she wants to go. I suggested that we stop at Mt. Fuji for a couple days on the way there or the way back, and they seemed interested. But...I feel like we need to make plans now since a lot of people will probably go to Tokyo for spring break. Once I know when or if we go to Mt. Fuji before or after Tokyo, I think I'll try and make plans with my friend Sakura who lives between Osaka and Tokyo (or even Osaka and Mt. Fuji).
Anyway, those are my plans. Do any of you guys have special plans for spring break? XD
Well, that's all for now. Tata!
One of them being that one of my professors got a haircut and dyed his hair...now, this might seem like a normal thing, but what makes it interesting is that his hair was more of a reddish color rather than his natural brown color, so it was completely noticeable, but what would make even those who are oblivious to their surroundings notice is the fact that his whole stature and energy were completely different. He was not only more confident but also more excited and tried to talk like us undergrads (think of those TV scenarios where a dad says cool to fit in with his children rather than saying groovy). His self esteem was at its peak. It was actually quite amusing (not in the making fun of someone way). Good for him! My friend Tine (Tina) from Germany thought it was funny, and she also thought that his hair looked better before the hair dye. But if he feels better with dyed hair then...ok!
The next thing I want to talk about are the birds in the area. Most of them sound human and not in a good way. There's a bird that sounds like its screaming and being tortured, another sounds like a wailing baby, another sounds like someone moaning, and there's some other noises, but I can't quite think of them at the moment. Anyway, its a little disturbing when, while you're walking, you hear a bird that sounds like a screaming human being. >.<
Last week or so, I signed up for something called the International Advisory Program, where I'll be partnered with Japanese students who want to go to my university or other universities in the Midwest, and I will tell them what they need to know about the American culture, lifestyle, and academics. The opening meeting is tonight, so I'll know more about the program, and I'll meet my group. One of the heads of the program said that the meeting would end just in time to go out with my 'new friends.' It's a good thing I didn't already make plans! I think it will be fun, but I hope we don't go anywhere too far because I have to walk back to the seminar house when we're done (most likely alone, and it's not the dark I'm worried about its the possibility of getting lost part). Anyway, I will probably post an update later on how it goes.
Btw, I recently tried Amazon Japan, and Omgosh! I love it! XD The used things are so cheap online compared to in the stores (unfortunately, you can only get stuff if you live in Japan). I bought 4 CDs. One The Gazette CD for $15 (It would probably be $22 in a used store), another for $6 (which I already bought at a store for $23), a W-inds. CD for $3, and a Super Junior CD for $12 (which would be about $30). Yay! ^.^ I'll probably post whether they are in a decent condition or not...
Today, I got my cash card for meals, and I went to get a balance inquiry, but most of the receipt is in kanji so I have no real way of knowing how much I have. I will have to look at the materials I got to see if the amount is on there, but hallelujah! I don't have to spend $40 of my own money per week for groceries! ...Yes...Japan is expensive...
I'm so excited that I know hiragana and katakana pretty well now! I'm looking forward to learning kanji (which will take me forever and a day to learn)!
I apologize that there isn't a lot of story telling in this one...maybe after tonight, I will have some more stories to share!
Also, I love my Monsters, Ghosts, and the Making of Japan class because we watch horror movies sometimes! XD
Midterms will be here in about two weeks already...which means spring break will be here in three!!! Some people I know are planning to fly to China for spring break, and all I can say is wow! Good for them! Tine asked me which city in China I would recommend: Beijing, Shanghai, or Hong Kong. Since she wants more historical sites, I suggested Beijing (I haven't been to Shanghai and Hong Kong has a lot of Western influence). I hope she enjoys China!
I plan to go to Tokyo for break. I don't really want to stay for the whole week, maybe four days so I can go to Tokyo Disney and see the old and new part of Tokyo. My roommate wants to go for the whole week and Heather doesn't know how long she wants to go. I suggested that we stop at Mt. Fuji for a couple days on the way there or the way back, and they seemed interested. But...I feel like we need to make plans now since a lot of people will probably go to Tokyo for spring break. Once I know when or if we go to Mt. Fuji before or after Tokyo, I think I'll try and make plans with my friend Sakura who lives between Osaka and Tokyo (or even Osaka and Mt. Fuji).
Anyway, those are my plans. Do any of you guys have special plans for spring break? XD
Well, that's all for now. Tata!
2.16.2012
I gave up my glove for love
So Valentine's Day has come and gone both in Japan and back home...so sad yet so sweet! I passed out my chocolates to friends, the RAs, otoosan and okaasan, and a couple teachers. Otoosan and okaasan kept saying thank you over and over again and gave me small Japanese chocolates and a rice cake. Then, this morning, okaasan informed me that she really liked my oreo bon bons. When I gave chocolate to the RAs, they said they would give me something in return and Kaito hugged Heather and me. My reading and writing teacher gave me a small note with English and Japanese saying thank you with a sucker attached to it, my speaking and listening teacher said they were oishii (delicious) and the TA for that class asked me how to make them. One friend said they died a little inside because of happiness. Overall, I think it turned out pretty well.
I was going to force myself to give some to a Japanese guy, and my roommate suggested this one guy we met; however, I saw all my friends on the same day and at the same time, so I passed out all my oreo bon bons, and the second I gave away my last one, the Japanese guy walked by. Oh well. I'm glad that my friends really enjoyed them! I really enjoyed making them! Maybe I'll make more later!
Anyway, yesterday, I went to the city hall with Veronica and Heather because Veronica and I needed to turn in our applications for alien registration. After we were done, we walked around and found a bookstore full of manga in Japanese...I would have gotten some, except for the small problem of me not knowing any Japanese. Later though, we found a used video game, book, DVD, CD, etc. store, and as soon as I saw the CDs, I looked all over for The Gazette. I saw CDs for a band called Gackt and knew The Gazette CDs were nearby, but I simply could not find them...I would walk around the store and then walk back to that section. Of course, it wasn't until a Japanese man stood in front of the CDs that I saw them.
The second my eyes read "Stacked Rubbish," I yelled, "Yes! OMGOSH, yes!" My yelling accompanied jumping before I lunged to grab "Stacked Rubbish," not caring what the other Japanese, who probably wouldn't do the same thing if they were in my place, thought. Despite my happiness, the Japanese man would not move for about five minutes, and when he left, I found another CD from The Gazette called "NIL." Together they were a little under 4,000 yen. Totally worth it! (Each has a DVD with one music video as well)
Yes, yesterday was good. Veronica, Heather, and I went back to Hirakata Station to find something to eat. They wanted crepes, but I wanted something more for a meal rather than dessert. So what did I get? Takoyaki! Why did I get it? Two of my favorite anime characters were obsessed with the stuff! Seems logical, right? Anyway, they were pretty good...fried balls that are mushy on the inside (the only bad part), and mine had small pieces of octopus. I love octopus!!!! The cook asked me if I wanted sauce, mayonnaise, or spices on top of it, but I said no. Maybe next time I'll try the sauce or spices...The only downside to eating the Takoyaki is that I stupidly ate almost all of one right away and scalded my mouth. It was so hot that I had tears coming out of my eyes. It was pretty bad, but what was worse was me trying to eat the Takoyaki with chopsticks. It was bigger than normal so I couldn't put a whole one in my mouth. Instead, I picked one up with my chopsticks and shook it until a piece broke off, then I would eat it.
Once, I tried to take a bite instead and got the awkward taking too big of a bite so that part of it hung out of my mouth situation. I tried to quickly get all of it into my mouth, which looked really awkward until the piece hanging out of my mouth fell back on the small box (hehheh). I then looked up to see if anyone saw me, and sure enough, there were two Japanese guys watching me and snickering. Look at that stupid gaijin. She doesn't know how to eat Takoyaki!
I have now decided that whenever I go out, I'm going to bring a fork with me...
On the way back to the university, I took off my glove so I could get my change out for the bus. After a while, I looked on my lap to see if I put my glove on my lap or in my bag. When I didn't see it on my lap, I assumed it was in my bag and got off the bus at the stop. Inside my bag, my glove was nowhere to be found, so I walked home with one glove off, and by the time I got back to the seminar house, my hand was burning.
But you know what? Losing a glove was a small price to pay for getting two The Gazette CDs. The thought of having them made me warm inside so I didn't even think about the cold. XD
And today, I bought new gloves at the 100 yen store. Yay!
Another thing that happened today makes me wish I was fluent in Japanese. I said Konichiwa to a Japanese woman, who then spoke to me in Japanese. She said Japanjin desu. So I said Amerikajin desu. Then she kept saying Nihongo (Japanese), and when I kept saying eh??? and shrugging because I didn't know what she was saying, she said Iie (no) and Gomen (excuse me or sorry) and then we smiled and parted. Now that I think about it, I think she was asking me if I knew Japanese...I wish! I believe one day I will be fluent...after many looooooooong years. X(
Also, I now have a list of places I want to go and things I want to do or see:
Osaka Castle
Fushimi Inari Shrine
The Gazette Concert in Tokyo (I don't think I'm going to find anyone to go with me since it's far and expensive)
Tokyo for part of spring break; Tokyo Disney
Mt. Fuji
To see my friend Sakura
Those are the main ones for now!
An update on classes:
They are going pretty well...I found out that my new friend from Germany is in every one of my classes so I normally sit by her in each one. Unfortunately, my morning classes and my afternoon classes normally have a 2-3 hour gap in between them, but I end up going to the computer lab in the CIE building to check my email, write my blogs, check facebook, and write my stories. I now have time to write! We'll see if anything comes from it at the end of the semester...
Well, hopefully I'll have an interesting story for next time. Toodles!
I was going to force myself to give some to a Japanese guy, and my roommate suggested this one guy we met; however, I saw all my friends on the same day and at the same time, so I passed out all my oreo bon bons, and the second I gave away my last one, the Japanese guy walked by. Oh well. I'm glad that my friends really enjoyed them! I really enjoyed making them! Maybe I'll make more later!
Anyway, yesterday, I went to the city hall with Veronica and Heather because Veronica and I needed to turn in our applications for alien registration. After we were done, we walked around and found a bookstore full of manga in Japanese...I would have gotten some, except for the small problem of me not knowing any Japanese. Later though, we found a used video game, book, DVD, CD, etc. store, and as soon as I saw the CDs, I looked all over for The Gazette. I saw CDs for a band called Gackt and knew The Gazette CDs were nearby, but I simply could not find them...I would walk around the store and then walk back to that section. Of course, it wasn't until a Japanese man stood in front of the CDs that I saw them.
The second my eyes read "Stacked Rubbish," I yelled, "Yes! OMGOSH, yes!" My yelling accompanied jumping before I lunged to grab "Stacked Rubbish," not caring what the other Japanese, who probably wouldn't do the same thing if they were in my place, thought. Despite my happiness, the Japanese man would not move for about five minutes, and when he left, I found another CD from The Gazette called "NIL." Together they were a little under 4,000 yen. Totally worth it! (Each has a DVD with one music video as well)
Yes, yesterday was good. Veronica, Heather, and I went back to Hirakata Station to find something to eat. They wanted crepes, but I wanted something more for a meal rather than dessert. So what did I get? Takoyaki! Why did I get it? Two of my favorite anime characters were obsessed with the stuff! Seems logical, right? Anyway, they were pretty good...fried balls that are mushy on the inside (the only bad part), and mine had small pieces of octopus. I love octopus!!!! The cook asked me if I wanted sauce, mayonnaise, or spices on top of it, but I said no. Maybe next time I'll try the sauce or spices...The only downside to eating the Takoyaki is that I stupidly ate almost all of one right away and scalded my mouth. It was so hot that I had tears coming out of my eyes. It was pretty bad, but what was worse was me trying to eat the Takoyaki with chopsticks. It was bigger than normal so I couldn't put a whole one in my mouth. Instead, I picked one up with my chopsticks and shook it until a piece broke off, then I would eat it.
Once, I tried to take a bite instead and got the awkward taking too big of a bite so that part of it hung out of my mouth situation. I tried to quickly get all of it into my mouth, which looked really awkward until the piece hanging out of my mouth fell back on the small box (hehheh). I then looked up to see if anyone saw me, and sure enough, there were two Japanese guys watching me and snickering. Look at that stupid gaijin. She doesn't know how to eat Takoyaki!
I have now decided that whenever I go out, I'm going to bring a fork with me...
On the way back to the university, I took off my glove so I could get my change out for the bus. After a while, I looked on my lap to see if I put my glove on my lap or in my bag. When I didn't see it on my lap, I assumed it was in my bag and got off the bus at the stop. Inside my bag, my glove was nowhere to be found, so I walked home with one glove off, and by the time I got back to the seminar house, my hand was burning.
But you know what? Losing a glove was a small price to pay for getting two The Gazette CDs. The thought of having them made me warm inside so I didn't even think about the cold. XD
And today, I bought new gloves at the 100 yen store. Yay!
Another thing that happened today makes me wish I was fluent in Japanese. I said Konichiwa to a Japanese woman, who then spoke to me in Japanese. She said Japanjin desu. So I said Amerikajin desu. Then she kept saying Nihongo (Japanese), and when I kept saying eh??? and shrugging because I didn't know what she was saying, she said Iie (no) and Gomen (excuse me or sorry) and then we smiled and parted. Now that I think about it, I think she was asking me if I knew Japanese...I wish! I believe one day I will be fluent...after many looooooooong years. X(
Also, I now have a list of places I want to go and things I want to do or see:
Osaka Castle
Fushimi Inari Shrine
The Gazette Concert in Tokyo (I don't think I'm going to find anyone to go with me since it's far and expensive)
Tokyo for part of spring break; Tokyo Disney
Mt. Fuji
To see my friend Sakura
Those are the main ones for now!
An update on classes:
They are going pretty well...I found out that my new friend from Germany is in every one of my classes so I normally sit by her in each one. Unfortunately, my morning classes and my afternoon classes normally have a 2-3 hour gap in between them, but I end up going to the computer lab in the CIE building to check my email, write my blogs, check facebook, and write my stories. I now have time to write! We'll see if anything comes from it at the end of the semester...
Well, hopefully I'll have an interesting story for next time. Toodles!
2.12.2012
Best day ever!!!
This Saturday, I had the chance to go to Kyoto with Veronica, Heather, and Rose, and let me tell you, it will be hard to beat that day (although I know my REAL best day ever will be on March 10th...but I'll write about that later). We rode a bus to the train station, and I tried to follow my friends as they were debating what train to go on and whether to transfer or not. I'm still confused, but I think I might be able to manage the train system. We took the slower local train (the same price as the express train), and it was less crowded than the express. We had to go about 15 stops before we made it to Kyoto. Basically, when we got there, we walked to this shrine where there are a bunch of shops and went through several of them.
One of our first stops was to get crepes (flavors: chocolate banana, sweat bean, and strawberry). I got strawberry, and it was pretty good! It had strawberries (obviously), whipped cream, edible cinnamon stick chunks, and an edible cinnamon stick for decoration. Our other stops consisted of random stores, but the most important store was the Ghibli store, where there were tons of items from Miyazaki films. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever...Spirited Away, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, etc. It was great!
After shopping, we decided to get something to eat, and after walking around for about twenty minutes and looking into really risque restaurants, we found this restaurant, where the food looked ok, but what got my vote were the cute Asian guys in tuxes. We went inside and ordered our food (there was American and Japanese food) and decided that the restaurant was a good choice. Then...a string quartet came out to play music, making this restaurant even more awesome, but the awesomeness didn't stop there. Oh no, it went all the way to completely epic when they played songs from Miyazaki films!!! It was like a Miyazaki night. Between us girls, we decided that Veronica would marry the celloist, Heather the violist, Rose the violinist on the inside, and me the violinist on the end. XD
When our food came out, we were both preplexed and pleased. Heather and Rose got spaghetti, Veronica ordered a 6 object meal (I say object because coffee isn't realy a course), and she got six pieces of silverware while the rest of us only got one or two pieces of silverware. I had ordered a hamburger which was three separate slices of hamburger, lettuce, and ham on thin slices of toast, and it was pretty good! Heather and I ordered milkshakes, which was just milk, ice, and flavoring. It tasted like tapioca pudding! Rose got a parfait which was basically a huge ice cream and fruit sundae.
After reluctantly leaving the restaurant, we decided to do Purikura, which is basically a photobooth, but way more awesome.
The photobooths are in a place that is all pink and girly, and there are mirrors provided and curling irons so you can do your hair (may I remind you, all for a photobooth costing 400 yen). You take six pictures, decide what type of eye editing you want (they enlarge your eyes and sometimes it looks freaky), pick your background, and then you get ready to pose. You have to be quick though, and sometimes, the machine will make you squeeze into a small area for a picture. Then afterwards, you go to a separate booth to edit your photos; however, your time is limited. When finished, you send two to your email and get the rest in tiny pictures.
We did it twice and Heather took out her knitted cat that her friend made for the second round. When we were finished, we went upstairs, where there havare crane games...totally rigged...like always...but Veronica, Heather, and Rose each played at least once.
Finally, we left and took the express train home. Then, we found out that we could take the bus from the station to a stop close to the seminar houses rather than stopping at the university and then having us walk back to our houses. Overall, it was a great night!
An update on the Valentine's chocolates:
I made them yesterday, and they turned out pretty good! It just took about 4 hours to make them. Plus, I had to walk to the store three times: once to get the last few things I needed, once to get something I forgot, and once to get more white chocolate. I plan to give them to otosan, okasan, the RAs, and my friends.
*******Also the best thing that could ever possibly happen happened last night*******
I really like this band called The Gazette (they are basically my favorite band ever), and I went on their website last night to see if they had any shows coming up.... They have only one...A 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW!!! It was all in kanji so I had to ask one of the RAs to translate for me, and when I found out there was a concert, I danced and spazzed out. It's March 10th in Tokyo and costs 7,300 yen. I will do what I have to to be able to go. My only dilemma is finding someone else who will go see them with me since I can't read Japanese, and it's a long trip. I will go without someone else if I have to, but I would like to go with someone...and I have to find someone preferrably by this Saturday because that's when tickets go on sale, and I'm pretty sure it will be sold out quickly...so I really hope I can find someone to go with me, and I hope I can get a ticket!!!!!!! It's an 8 hour bus ride to Tokyo from here, but it's 2-4 hours by bullet train; however, the bullet train costs over $100 one way...so I think I'll take the bus. Wish me luck!!!
One of our first stops was to get crepes (flavors: chocolate banana, sweat bean, and strawberry). I got strawberry, and it was pretty good! It had strawberries (obviously), whipped cream, edible cinnamon stick chunks, and an edible cinnamon stick for decoration. Our other stops consisted of random stores, but the most important store was the Ghibli store, where there were tons of items from Miyazaki films. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever...Spirited Away, Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, etc. It was great!
After shopping, we decided to get something to eat, and after walking around for about twenty minutes and looking into really risque restaurants, we found this restaurant, where the food looked ok, but what got my vote were the cute Asian guys in tuxes. We went inside and ordered our food (there was American and Japanese food) and decided that the restaurant was a good choice. Then...a string quartet came out to play music, making this restaurant even more awesome, but the awesomeness didn't stop there. Oh no, it went all the way to completely epic when they played songs from Miyazaki films!!! It was like a Miyazaki night. Between us girls, we decided that Veronica would marry the celloist, Heather the violist, Rose the violinist on the inside, and me the violinist on the end. XD
When our food came out, we were both preplexed and pleased. Heather and Rose got spaghetti, Veronica ordered a 6 object meal (I say object because coffee isn't realy a course), and she got six pieces of silverware while the rest of us only got one or two pieces of silverware. I had ordered a hamburger which was three separate slices of hamburger, lettuce, and ham on thin slices of toast, and it was pretty good! Heather and I ordered milkshakes, which was just milk, ice, and flavoring. It tasted like tapioca pudding! Rose got a parfait which was basically a huge ice cream and fruit sundae.
After reluctantly leaving the restaurant, we decided to do Purikura, which is basically a photobooth, but way more awesome.
The photobooths are in a place that is all pink and girly, and there are mirrors provided and curling irons so you can do your hair (may I remind you, all for a photobooth costing 400 yen). You take six pictures, decide what type of eye editing you want (they enlarge your eyes and sometimes it looks freaky), pick your background, and then you get ready to pose. You have to be quick though, and sometimes, the machine will make you squeeze into a small area for a picture. Then afterwards, you go to a separate booth to edit your photos; however, your time is limited. When finished, you send two to your email and get the rest in tiny pictures.
We did it twice and Heather took out her knitted cat that her friend made for the second round. When we were finished, we went upstairs, where there havare crane games...totally rigged...like always...but Veronica, Heather, and Rose each played at least once.
Finally, we left and took the express train home. Then, we found out that we could take the bus from the station to a stop close to the seminar houses rather than stopping at the university and then having us walk back to our houses. Overall, it was a great night!
An update on the Valentine's chocolates:
I made them yesterday, and they turned out pretty good! It just took about 4 hours to make them. Plus, I had to walk to the store three times: once to get the last few things I needed, once to get something I forgot, and once to get more white chocolate. I plan to give them to otosan, okasan, the RAs, and my friends.
*******Also the best thing that could ever possibly happen happened last night*******
I really like this band called The Gazette (they are basically my favorite band ever), and I went on their website last night to see if they had any shows coming up.... They have only one...A 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW!!! It was all in kanji so I had to ask one of the RAs to translate for me, and when I found out there was a concert, I danced and spazzed out. It's March 10th in Tokyo and costs 7,300 yen. I will do what I have to to be able to go. My only dilemma is finding someone else who will go see them with me since I can't read Japanese, and it's a long trip. I will go without someone else if I have to, but I would like to go with someone...and I have to find someone preferrably by this Saturday because that's when tickets go on sale, and I'm pretty sure it will be sold out quickly...so I really hope I can find someone to go with me, and I hope I can get a ticket!!!!!!! It's an 8 hour bus ride to Tokyo from here, but it's 2-4 hours by bullet train; however, the bullet train costs over $100 one way...so I think I'll take the bus. Wish me luck!!!
2.10.2012
Valentine's Day Pt 1
Valentine's Day is around the corner, and the one thing keeping me from ignoring the holiday like always is the fact that I'm in Japan!!! Now, for those of you that don't know how Valentine's Day works in Japan, I will add a brief explanation.
Girls give chocolates to guys (the person they like or just a friend [they can also give chocolate to their girl friends]). They can buy it or make it, and how cool would it be to make chocolate? At least, I think it would be cool.
Here's the thing about Valentine's Day though. If you give a guy chocolates, he has to get you a gift for White Day on March 14th.
I'm going to be honest and say I wish I could participate in both, but I'm only going to participate in Valentine's Day since I really don't know any guys here yet.
I'm going to make oreo bonbons, and I'm going to give them to otosan, okasan, the 3 RAs and my friends. I do have a dilemma though...one of the RAs is a guy...Veronica suggested that I find out where his refrigerator is in the downstairs kitchen and put it in there secretly, which I think would be funny, and similar to what a kid does in elementary school. haha I think I'm just going to give his to Eriko so she can give it to him without him knowing it's from me.
I was happy to buy the little decorated boxes with wrappers in them for the chocolates...in fact, I was so happy that I didn't realize the cute bunny boxes actually said 'I'm in love with you.' Seriously? I'm not in love with anybody! So I have to go back to the store and buy some new ones...
Anyway, I'm nervous about making the bonbons...I think I might mess up, but at least trying should be fun!
I guess I will post an update on how it goes later!
Girls give chocolates to guys (the person they like or just a friend [they can also give chocolate to their girl friends]). They can buy it or make it, and how cool would it be to make chocolate? At least, I think it would be cool.
Here's the thing about Valentine's Day though. If you give a guy chocolates, he has to get you a gift for White Day on March 14th.
I'm going to be honest and say I wish I could participate in both, but I'm only going to participate in Valentine's Day since I really don't know any guys here yet.
I'm going to make oreo bonbons, and I'm going to give them to otosan, okasan, the 3 RAs and my friends. I do have a dilemma though...one of the RAs is a guy...Veronica suggested that I find out where his refrigerator is in the downstairs kitchen and put it in there secretly, which I think would be funny, and similar to what a kid does in elementary school. haha I think I'm just going to give his to Eriko so she can give it to him without him knowing it's from me.
I was happy to buy the little decorated boxes with wrappers in them for the chocolates...in fact, I was so happy that I didn't realize the cute bunny boxes actually said 'I'm in love with you.' Seriously? I'm not in love with anybody! So I have to go back to the store and buy some new ones...
Anyway, I'm nervous about making the bonbons...I think I might mess up, but at least trying should be fun!
I guess I will post an update on how it goes later!
Unintentional stalking
I'm so awkward...I'm so awkward...I'm so awkward...
Remember AHG from my story about getting my computer registered? I'm going to tell a short story about him...and another story about this other guy, but first, I have to ask...Does this following scenerio happen to you? You're just walking on the sidewalk minding your own business while the birds are chirping and golden rays of sun light up your beautiful (or handsome face) and then you hear someone walking behind you, but it's no biggie, they'll pass you eventually...but they don't, so you only hope that they'll go another direction, but they don't, and end up unintentionally stalking you? I've had something similar happen two days in a row.
The first day, someone came out of no where behind me...seriously, I looked behind me and no one was there, and suddenly, I heard footsteps....so I thought ok...no big deal...and kept walking until I got to the bike parking lot, where I cut through, thinking that the person behind me would walk around like everyone else...nope...
This person ends up following me across campus to the CIE building, and the whole time, I thought he was going to pass me...but no...even when I sped up, he kept in pace behind me...Finally, I held open the door for people coming out and then this random guy going in. He was completely oblivious to the trouble he caused me. XP
Then the next day, I saw AHG walking ahead of me. An international student went up to talk to him, and in my head, I was thinking that I didn't want to feel obligated to say hi. I wouldn't mind saying hi, but he hasn't said hi to me after the computer registration, and I haven't really had the chance to say hi to him. Sometimes, I'll go to say hi, but he's not looking at me so I'm like...ok and look away. :P Anyway, I wanted to avoid another one of those awkward should I say hi or not thingymabobs...so I was like 'whatever way he's going, I'm going the opposite way.'
There are two ways to the CIE building: diagonally (shorter) and walking around some buildings in a square. It appeared he was going to go diagonally with the international student, so I chose the long way, which no one chooses because it's long. So I go that way, and a few moments later, I hear footsteps behind me. I look over my shoulder, and there he is following me...almost all the way to the CIE. I was trying to walk as fast as I could hoping he wouldn't recognize me...
The world of Ashley is full of detours to avoid awkward situations...It's very inconvenient.
Anyway, here are a few current updates...
I got a local phone today
I'm going to Kyoto (or Osaka) tomorrow
I'm afraid that bugs (apparently centipedes are common) are going to get me in the middle of the night because my futon is so close to the ground...
I really like toast!
Remember AHG from my story about getting my computer registered? I'm going to tell a short story about him...and another story about this other guy, but first, I have to ask...Does this following scenerio happen to you? You're just walking on the sidewalk minding your own business while the birds are chirping and golden rays of sun light up your beautiful (or handsome face) and then you hear someone walking behind you, but it's no biggie, they'll pass you eventually...but they don't, so you only hope that they'll go another direction, but they don't, and end up unintentionally stalking you? I've had something similar happen two days in a row.
The first day, someone came out of no where behind me...seriously, I looked behind me and no one was there, and suddenly, I heard footsteps....so I thought ok...no big deal...and kept walking until I got to the bike parking lot, where I cut through, thinking that the person behind me would walk around like everyone else...nope...
This person ends up following me across campus to the CIE building, and the whole time, I thought he was going to pass me...but no...even when I sped up, he kept in pace behind me...Finally, I held open the door for people coming out and then this random guy going in. He was completely oblivious to the trouble he caused me. XP
Then the next day, I saw AHG walking ahead of me. An international student went up to talk to him, and in my head, I was thinking that I didn't want to feel obligated to say hi. I wouldn't mind saying hi, but he hasn't said hi to me after the computer registration, and I haven't really had the chance to say hi to him. Sometimes, I'll go to say hi, but he's not looking at me so I'm like...ok and look away. :P Anyway, I wanted to avoid another one of those awkward should I say hi or not thingymabobs...so I was like 'whatever way he's going, I'm going the opposite way.'
There are two ways to the CIE building: diagonally (shorter) and walking around some buildings in a square. It appeared he was going to go diagonally with the international student, so I chose the long way, which no one chooses because it's long. So I go that way, and a few moments later, I hear footsteps behind me. I look over my shoulder, and there he is following me...almost all the way to the CIE. I was trying to walk as fast as I could hoping he wouldn't recognize me...
The world of Ashley is full of detours to avoid awkward situations...It's very inconvenient.
Anyway, here are a few current updates...
I got a local phone today
I'm going to Kyoto (or Osaka) tomorrow
I'm afraid that bugs (apparently centipedes are common) are going to get me in the middle of the night because my futon is so close to the ground...
I really like toast!
Being late, eating raw chicken, and getting lost: a wonderful combo!
Wednesday was just one of those days...
First, I felt sick in the morning until I had 20 minutes to take a 30 minute walk. Then, when I went downstairs, I saw them...huge, fluffy flakes of snow. Now, because I was already late, I didn't bother to go get an umbrella or a sweatshirt with a hood because I'm from Iowa, and I walk out in the snow without a hood all the time! But I forgot that is only the distance from the car to the store. :P Thirty minutes without coverage from the snow...blowing towards my face...imagine how that might feel... having these huge pieces of snow land on your face, making your black coat look like the night sky and tumbling down your hair...now imagine after half the walk, your sock magically slides off half your foot. Oh, and don't forget that you're ten minutes behind schedule and if you're late three times it equals one absence. If you don't care about being late, then ignore this point; either way, snow in the face and a sock sliding off can be...rather unpleasant.
Anyway, I was a whole whopping 6-7 minutes late to class. My teacher looked very disappointed in me...but after the first few awkward moments, I was really enjoying my Reading and Writing Japanese 1 class, partly because I spent some time memorizing hiragana, and I felt pretty smart when I was able to name different characters....although I'm in the small group of students here that can't read hiragana haha
After class, my teacher seemed in higher spirits and asked if I missed the bus...I explained, and she seemed to understand...phew...
The rest of the day went by normally...
I've grown accustomed to going to the grocery store ten minutes away rather than the one twenty minutes away. The farther one is called Top World, and it's pretty good, but it's more expensive...the closer one, Sanko, is pretty good too and it has a 100yen shop inside, but you should never ever ever....even if someone threatened to replace all your music with Justin Beiber songs...eat the chicken at Sanko...I bought and ate some the other day, and it tasted pretty good. A few bites were mushy and tasted weird (it didn't look raw when I cut it)...I get to the last piece and find that about half of it is raw still... I immediately threw it away while trying not to think of the mushy bites I had eaten before. BLEH!!! My roommate then informed me that she got sick after eating chicken at Sanko...so it has been confirmed that the chicken there is very very bad...
But their fried shrimp is good...I've also gotten yogurt, cereal, milk, bread, peanut butter, deli sandwiches, donuts, oreos, crackers...and other food that I can find at home...so I think Sanko is still worth going to.
I would now like to inform you about the time I got lost...
Jessica showed me the way to the university. When my classes were over, I remembered most of the way back, and I get back most of the way and take a wrong turn and walk fifteen minutes until I find the park that is actually right across the street from my seminar house. I then wander aimlessly for another fifteen minutes or so looking around for my house when the street was right by the park. I then saw another foreign student and followed him to Seminar House 2. Then, I knew where I was going and went back the way I came and chose the right street...well, I'm glad that's over with...=]
First, I felt sick in the morning until I had 20 minutes to take a 30 minute walk. Then, when I went downstairs, I saw them...huge, fluffy flakes of snow. Now, because I was already late, I didn't bother to go get an umbrella or a sweatshirt with a hood because I'm from Iowa, and I walk out in the snow without a hood all the time! But I forgot that is only the distance from the car to the store. :P Thirty minutes without coverage from the snow...blowing towards my face...imagine how that might feel... having these huge pieces of snow land on your face, making your black coat look like the night sky and tumbling down your hair...now imagine after half the walk, your sock magically slides off half your foot. Oh, and don't forget that you're ten minutes behind schedule and if you're late three times it equals one absence. If you don't care about being late, then ignore this point; either way, snow in the face and a sock sliding off can be...rather unpleasant.
Anyway, I was a whole whopping 6-7 minutes late to class. My teacher looked very disappointed in me...but after the first few awkward moments, I was really enjoying my Reading and Writing Japanese 1 class, partly because I spent some time memorizing hiragana, and I felt pretty smart when I was able to name different characters....although I'm in the small group of students here that can't read hiragana haha
After class, my teacher seemed in higher spirits and asked if I missed the bus...I explained, and she seemed to understand...phew...
The rest of the day went by normally...
I've grown accustomed to going to the grocery store ten minutes away rather than the one twenty minutes away. The farther one is called Top World, and it's pretty good, but it's more expensive...the closer one, Sanko, is pretty good too and it has a 100yen shop inside, but you should never ever ever....even if someone threatened to replace all your music with Justin Beiber songs...eat the chicken at Sanko...I bought and ate some the other day, and it tasted pretty good. A few bites were mushy and tasted weird (it didn't look raw when I cut it)...I get to the last piece and find that about half of it is raw still... I immediately threw it away while trying not to think of the mushy bites I had eaten before. BLEH!!! My roommate then informed me that she got sick after eating chicken at Sanko...so it has been confirmed that the chicken there is very very bad...
But their fried shrimp is good...I've also gotten yogurt, cereal, milk, bread, peanut butter, deli sandwiches, donuts, oreos, crackers...and other food that I can find at home...so I think Sanko is still worth going to.
I would now like to inform you about the time I got lost...
Jessica showed me the way to the university. When my classes were over, I remembered most of the way back, and I get back most of the way and take a wrong turn and walk fifteen minutes until I find the park that is actually right across the street from my seminar house. I then wander aimlessly for another fifteen minutes or so looking around for my house when the street was right by the park. I then saw another foreign student and followed him to Seminar House 2. Then, I knew where I was going and went back the way I came and chose the right street...well, I'm glad that's over with...=]
That awkward moment when your computer is the only one that causes problems...
During orientation, I had to get my computer registered at the CIE computer lab...ok...whatever...so I go there with my laptop at my time slot. When I get there, I'm met by a friendly Japanese girl, who then points me to a cute Japanese guy. Oh my poopscates!!! >.<
I start my computer so he can look up two of my computer's physical addresses, and while doing so, I start talking to him about random things...whatever pops into my mind. The first few things are normal like: Are you a student? What year are you? What's your major? And in between each question is an awkward silence...when he sees my desktop background with members of The Gazette (one of the best Japanese bands ever!!!), he asks me who they are and some other questions about them. Of course, I was pleased to share my knowledge. XD For the next few minutes, we talked bands. Then, when he was looking for one of the physical addresses on my computer, he couldn't find it (I couldn't find it either) so he had to ask the Japanese girl to help...after looking, she left with an EEEEEEEHHHHH!!!
My computer turned out to be special...so special in fact that it took an hour (rather than ten minutes) to register my computer. Another Japanese guy with awesome hair (it was an uneven hairstyle; short on one side and long on the other) rolled in between...(I'm going to call him H) H and I to look at my computer. Of course he asked me what band was on my desktop background, and I told him The Gazette and proceeded to ask if he knew them and liked them. He knew them, but he said they were ok. -.-...no comment...
After getting confused, he left, and H and I automatically closed his space and continued talking. I spoke like I had some speech impediment, and I even talked to him about working out...somehow that seems like a weird topic to be talking about to a cute guy. XP He then asked me who my favorite band member was from the Gazette, and I pointed to Reita...but before he could get a better look, the guy with awesome hair came between us again and tried again at my computer...he sat there for a while, and I was just sitting there awkardly, looking at my phone, around the lab, watching the clock, making faces, and of course, meditating on how awkward the situation was. Eriko, my RA, and a friend of hers then came into the computer lab and sat across from where I was sitting, and judging by the look in (I'm going to call him AHG for awesome hair guy because I didn't ask him what his name was) AHG's eyes and the smirk on his face he either A) liked Eriko or her friend B) he has that type of cocky personality or C) both.
Eriko said hi to me and then AHG talked to her in Japanese, making me feel even more awkard sitting there, waiting for my computer to get internet (life without it can be incredibly boring or a pain). Once again, AHG left because he couldn't figure my computer out, and I guess I looked depressed or disturbed...or like someone haunted by a ghost that doesn't stop singing Friday by Rebecca Black because H said, "Everything will be alright."
We continued talking again, and I was getting comfortable talking to him about things that were even more random than before, but eventually, I ran out of things to say, and when AHG came back, I got out my notebook to prevent another long awkward sitting session. Shortly after, H left to help someone else get their computer registered...Darn me and my notebook and awkwardness...so I decided to talk to AHG...it was more awkward talking to him, but I enjoyed talking rather than sitting there awkwardly. After a little while, he told me I would have to go somewhere else to get my computer fixed...so I followed him and said goodbye to H as I headed towards the door, but then AHG told me I had to stay ten more minutes, so I awkwardly told H I guess not... I sat down with AHG again, and he was definitely dramatic like me...he had an epiphany and went AHHHH!!! while looking at me, to which I copied him but did the expression that Kevin did in Home Alone when he was putting on his dad's cologne?...he then turned my computer upside down...wrote down a number and that was the key to getting my computer registered. He was so happy that he figured it out, and we high fived each other...he then told all the other workers in the computer lab, and they all got excited. I told AHG thank you in Japanese to which he didn't respond and just left...ok???
As a result of my time in the computer lab, I've been more in tune with my awkwardness and shyness. I then had an idea for writing a series of books called an awkward girl abroad....maybe I'll write them...after I write all the other books I need to finish...hehe
Anyway, this incident was a week and a half ago. I've seen AHG several times but not H. It's almost as if he had vanished, which is dissapointing because I would have liked him as a friend (anyone interested in The Gazette or who likes The Gazette must me my friend XD). I would try to be friends with AHG, but he's always talking with someone, which makes it hard for me to cut in and talk to him. I have a story about him for later...Dun Dun Dun!
I start my computer so he can look up two of my computer's physical addresses, and while doing so, I start talking to him about random things...whatever pops into my mind. The first few things are normal like: Are you a student? What year are you? What's your major? And in between each question is an awkward silence...when he sees my desktop background with members of The Gazette (one of the best Japanese bands ever!!!), he asks me who they are and some other questions about them. Of course, I was pleased to share my knowledge. XD For the next few minutes, we talked bands. Then, when he was looking for one of the physical addresses on my computer, he couldn't find it (I couldn't find it either) so he had to ask the Japanese girl to help...after looking, she left with an EEEEEEEHHHHH!!!
My computer turned out to be special...so special in fact that it took an hour (rather than ten minutes) to register my computer. Another Japanese guy with awesome hair (it was an uneven hairstyle; short on one side and long on the other) rolled in between...(I'm going to call him H) H and I to look at my computer. Of course he asked me what band was on my desktop background, and I told him The Gazette and proceeded to ask if he knew them and liked them. He knew them, but he said they were ok. -.-...no comment...
After getting confused, he left, and H and I automatically closed his space and continued talking. I spoke like I had some speech impediment, and I even talked to him about working out...somehow that seems like a weird topic to be talking about to a cute guy. XP He then asked me who my favorite band member was from the Gazette, and I pointed to Reita...but before he could get a better look, the guy with awesome hair came between us again and tried again at my computer...he sat there for a while, and I was just sitting there awkardly, looking at my phone, around the lab, watching the clock, making faces, and of course, meditating on how awkward the situation was. Eriko, my RA, and a friend of hers then came into the computer lab and sat across from where I was sitting, and judging by the look in (I'm going to call him AHG for awesome hair guy because I didn't ask him what his name was) AHG's eyes and the smirk on his face he either A) liked Eriko or her friend B) he has that type of cocky personality or C) both.
Eriko said hi to me and then AHG talked to her in Japanese, making me feel even more awkard sitting there, waiting for my computer to get internet (life without it can be incredibly boring or a pain). Once again, AHG left because he couldn't figure my computer out, and I guess I looked depressed or disturbed...or like someone haunted by a ghost that doesn't stop singing Friday by Rebecca Black because H said, "Everything will be alright."
We continued talking again, and I was getting comfortable talking to him about things that were even more random than before, but eventually, I ran out of things to say, and when AHG came back, I got out my notebook to prevent another long awkward sitting session. Shortly after, H left to help someone else get their computer registered...Darn me and my notebook and awkwardness...so I decided to talk to AHG...it was more awkward talking to him, but I enjoyed talking rather than sitting there awkwardly. After a little while, he told me I would have to go somewhere else to get my computer fixed...so I followed him and said goodbye to H as I headed towards the door, but then AHG told me I had to stay ten more minutes, so I awkwardly told H I guess not... I sat down with AHG again, and he was definitely dramatic like me...he had an epiphany and went AHHHH!!! while looking at me, to which I copied him but did the expression that Kevin did in Home Alone when he was putting on his dad's cologne?...he then turned my computer upside down...wrote down a number and that was the key to getting my computer registered. He was so happy that he figured it out, and we high fived each other...he then told all the other workers in the computer lab, and they all got excited. I told AHG thank you in Japanese to which he didn't respond and just left...ok???
As a result of my time in the computer lab, I've been more in tune with my awkwardness and shyness. I then had an idea for writing a series of books called an awkward girl abroad....maybe I'll write them...after I write all the other books I need to finish...hehe
Anyway, this incident was a week and a half ago. I've seen AHG several times but not H. It's almost as if he had vanished, which is dissapointing because I would have liked him as a friend (anyone interested in The Gazette or who likes The Gazette must me my friend XD). I would try to be friends with AHG, but he's always talking with someone, which makes it hard for me to cut in and talk to him. I have a story about him for later...Dun Dun Dun!
Orientation week
First off, I would like to apologize because my posts might get really long. I like to go into details about things...and I ramble...a wonderful combination, don't you think? I'll try to summarize my orientation week...
During orientation week, everyone has to stay at the seminar houses, so there might be 3 people living in one room during the week. Jessica was my first roommate, and she's from Australia and doing a homestay. Thus, she left after a week. My second roommate was named Sabrina, and she decided to rent an apartment instead of living in the seminar houses...so what happens to me at UNI (switching roommates every semester or having a roommate leave) actually happened in Japan! Woo! Well, now I have another roommate name Veronica, and she's from New York. She's pretty cool. We have a class together and eat together sometimes....and the most important thing is that she likes Epic Rap Battles and the LOTR movies XD.
Anyway, back to my first roommate, Jessica, she was really nice, friendly, and helpful. She introduced me to the Big Bang Theory, which is ok...I like Sheldon's character! XD And we attempted to do a Harry Potter marathon...and epically failed. We fell asleep during the first movie and stopped after it was finished...haha so much for that! She's actually sitting next to me in the computer lab as I type this. Random fact....=] (but not anymore because I'm editing this in my room. :P)
Orientation was filled with a bunch of helpful and useless meetings...I registered for classes and got into Reading and Writing Japanese 1, Speaking and Listening Japanese 1, Monsters, Ghosts, and the Making of Japan, International Communication in Japan, and Japanese Popular Media and Culture.
I'm so lucky that I got into Monsters, Ghosts, and the Making of Japan because 30 people can be in the class...and there are 29 people on the waiting list!!! Unfortunately, these two girls, who are twins, signed up for the class, and one got in and one didn't. Go figure!
I found out that my International Communication in Japan course counts for Sociolinguistics as part of my TESOL course...so I can graduate from UNI in two years, and study abroad twice (er technically 4 times if you count summer)!
At the seminar house there are three RAs, Eriko, who is really awesome and I talk to her sometimes; Midori, whom I have talked to a couple times (she tried to talk to me in Japanese), and Kaito, who said hi to me. They're really nice. Kaito said he likes to work out and said that if anyone wants to go with him to the gym that they could go with him, and I was tempted to ask because I work out sometimes at home, and I don't know if I can go four months without working out. I think it would be awkward if I asked though. Of course I think a lot of non-awkward things are awkward because I make them awkward. =D
My next post will be about me getting my computer registered XP ~Fin~
During orientation week, everyone has to stay at the seminar houses, so there might be 3 people living in one room during the week. Jessica was my first roommate, and she's from Australia and doing a homestay. Thus, she left after a week. My second roommate was named Sabrina, and she decided to rent an apartment instead of living in the seminar houses...so what happens to me at UNI (switching roommates every semester or having a roommate leave) actually happened in Japan! Woo! Well, now I have another roommate name Veronica, and she's from New York. She's pretty cool. We have a class together and eat together sometimes....and the most important thing is that she likes Epic Rap Battles and the LOTR movies XD.
Anyway, back to my first roommate, Jessica, she was really nice, friendly, and helpful. She introduced me to the Big Bang Theory, which is ok...I like Sheldon's character! XD And we attempted to do a Harry Potter marathon...and epically failed. We fell asleep during the first movie and stopped after it was finished...haha so much for that! She's actually sitting next to me in the computer lab as I type this. Random fact....=] (but not anymore because I'm editing this in my room. :P)
Orientation was filled with a bunch of helpful and useless meetings...I registered for classes and got into Reading and Writing Japanese 1, Speaking and Listening Japanese 1, Monsters, Ghosts, and the Making of Japan, International Communication in Japan, and Japanese Popular Media and Culture.
I'm so lucky that I got into Monsters, Ghosts, and the Making of Japan because 30 people can be in the class...and there are 29 people on the waiting list!!! Unfortunately, these two girls, who are twins, signed up for the class, and one got in and one didn't. Go figure!
I found out that my International Communication in Japan course counts for Sociolinguistics as part of my TESOL course...so I can graduate from UNI in two years, and study abroad twice (er technically 4 times if you count summer)!
At the seminar house there are three RAs, Eriko, who is really awesome and I talk to her sometimes; Midori, whom I have talked to a couple times (she tried to talk to me in Japanese), and Kaito, who said hi to me. They're really nice. Kaito said he likes to work out and said that if anyone wants to go with him to the gym that they could go with him, and I was tempted to ask because I work out sometimes at home, and I don't know if I can go four months without working out. I think it would be awkward if I asked though. Of course I think a lot of non-awkward things are awkward because I make them awkward. =D
My next post will be about me getting my computer registered XP ~Fin~
Ready for take off
First off, a warning to the people reading this...weirdness might ensue. So saying that, let me open with something that might make you roll your eyes. =]
The first thing I remember about going to the Des Moines International Airport was having my mom tack on the end of a prayer that I would not bring home an Asian guy...
Now, if you know me, you know that I joke around about liking Asian guys...but behind my jokes lies a true desire...now that I type that, desire seems like a strong word. I like Asian guys, ok? Some people might think I'm weird because of it, but you know what? I am weird and always have been! Plus, I have a few friends who are my support group on liking Asian guys. XD Anyway, the point is that I felt like my mom had cursed me...not that I'm looking for a guy honestly... I'm the 'if it happens, it happens; if not, it doesn't' type of girl...but my mom's words certainly aren't going to help anything. haha
Now, to jump to a completely different subject...the plane rides...Des Moines to DFW (leaving at 6:00AM I might add so I had to be at the airport two hours earlier and I couldn't sleep that night)...I sleep...DFW to Tokyo Narita...I sleep for 2 of the 13 1/2 hours...the rest of the hours are filled with eating food (which surprisingly had sushi, crackers and an individual package of cheese, a brownie, a salad or a few slices of fruit, a small water bottle, and then the normal gross airplane food...although one of the meals was pizza, which made me giddy considering I was feeling sick, and I didn't want to eat normal airplane food like beef and nasty potatoes, and brown vegetables, or overcooked chicken and rice. Somehow, eating pizza made me not feel sick...Does that make sense? Of course not!
The rest of my time was spent watching movies...one of them was Japanese with English subtitles called Kaiji 2. It's about a gambler who gambles his money to try to buy him and his friends out of working underground. It's actually quite good! In fact, I watched it two times. It refered to the first movie a lot which reminds me of an anime called Deadman Wonderland...where criminals are forced to play certain games that might cost them their lives. I so want to watch Kaiji: the ultimate gambler...but first, I have to find it and buy it...I'm not sure about the rules about watching stuff online in Japan.
Now, the TVs were small personal ones on the back of the seat in front of you, and the guy in front of me just happened to be one of those people who recline their chairs back as far as they can without any consideration for the person behind them...and people with long legs...you know how bad this can be. This guy didn't stop there though...oh no...he placed his hands behind his head so that his fingers were less than a foot away from my face and started picking at them...which distracted me from my movies.
You can imagine that I was happy to get off the plane...and the second I got off, I did a five second dance because I was in Japan (I danced in the tunnel from the plane to the airport; I figured that there wouldn't be a lot of people behind me to see me XD)! Finally, after 6-7 years of waiting!!!
I found out that I had to get my bags and go through customs...everthing is in Japanese and everyone speaks Japanese, but I manage...after I got my official ticket, I went to wait at the gate for an hour...wanting to fall asleep because I only had two hours of sleep in about the past 48 hours. Once on the plane, everything said was in Japanese followed by English. Luckily, I had a whole row to myself, and I immediately slept...after staring out the window to see Japan from the air at night.
Once I landed at the Kansai International Airport, I got my stuff and had to ask for directions on where the shuttle bus to the Best Western hotel was. It was about 8, so I had to wait until 9 for the next one. While waiting, I exchanged my money, and then waited outside for the shuttle...the driver could hardly speak English, and since I didn't know any Japanese, I just followed his actions.
Once at the hotel, I got my key and went up to the twelfth floor, took a much needed shower, tried to call my parents and failed (so I used Skype credit to post a facebook status so someone would inform my parents I was alright [my SIM card hadn't been activated]), took a couple pictures of the mini room, shampoo, soap, and conditioner dispenser, and passed out on the bed. Thus, this concludes my description of my flight and first night in Japan.
The first thing I remember about going to the Des Moines International Airport was having my mom tack on the end of a prayer that I would not bring home an Asian guy...
Now, if you know me, you know that I joke around about liking Asian guys...but behind my jokes lies a true desire...now that I type that, desire seems like a strong word. I like Asian guys, ok? Some people might think I'm weird because of it, but you know what? I am weird and always have been! Plus, I have a few friends who are my support group on liking Asian guys. XD Anyway, the point is that I felt like my mom had cursed me...not that I'm looking for a guy honestly... I'm the 'if it happens, it happens; if not, it doesn't' type of girl...but my mom's words certainly aren't going to help anything. haha
Now, to jump to a completely different subject...the plane rides...Des Moines to DFW (leaving at 6:00AM I might add so I had to be at the airport two hours earlier and I couldn't sleep that night)...I sleep...DFW to Tokyo Narita...I sleep for 2 of the 13 1/2 hours...the rest of the hours are filled with eating food (which surprisingly had sushi, crackers and an individual package of cheese, a brownie, a salad or a few slices of fruit, a small water bottle, and then the normal gross airplane food...although one of the meals was pizza, which made me giddy considering I was feeling sick, and I didn't want to eat normal airplane food like beef and nasty potatoes, and brown vegetables, or overcooked chicken and rice. Somehow, eating pizza made me not feel sick...Does that make sense? Of course not!
The rest of my time was spent watching movies...one of them was Japanese with English subtitles called Kaiji 2. It's about a gambler who gambles his money to try to buy him and his friends out of working underground. It's actually quite good! In fact, I watched it two times. It refered to the first movie a lot which reminds me of an anime called Deadman Wonderland...where criminals are forced to play certain games that might cost them their lives. I so want to watch Kaiji: the ultimate gambler...but first, I have to find it and buy it...I'm not sure about the rules about watching stuff online in Japan.
Now, the TVs were small personal ones on the back of the seat in front of you, and the guy in front of me just happened to be one of those people who recline their chairs back as far as they can without any consideration for the person behind them...and people with long legs...you know how bad this can be. This guy didn't stop there though...oh no...he placed his hands behind his head so that his fingers were less than a foot away from my face and started picking at them...which distracted me from my movies.
You can imagine that I was happy to get off the plane...and the second I got off, I did a five second dance because I was in Japan (I danced in the tunnel from the plane to the airport; I figured that there wouldn't be a lot of people behind me to see me XD)! Finally, after 6-7 years of waiting!!!
I found out that I had to get my bags and go through customs...everthing is in Japanese and everyone speaks Japanese, but I manage...after I got my official ticket, I went to wait at the gate for an hour...wanting to fall asleep because I only had two hours of sleep in about the past 48 hours. Once on the plane, everything said was in Japanese followed by English. Luckily, I had a whole row to myself, and I immediately slept...after staring out the window to see Japan from the air at night.
Once I landed at the Kansai International Airport, I got my stuff and had to ask for directions on where the shuttle bus to the Best Western hotel was. It was about 8, so I had to wait until 9 for the next one. While waiting, I exchanged my money, and then waited outside for the shuttle...the driver could hardly speak English, and since I didn't know any Japanese, I just followed his actions.
Once at the hotel, I got my key and went up to the twelfth floor, took a much needed shower, tried to call my parents and failed (so I used Skype credit to post a facebook status so someone would inform my parents I was alright [my SIM card hadn't been activated]), took a couple pictures of the mini room, shampoo, soap, and conditioner dispenser, and passed out on the bed. Thus, this concludes my description of my flight and first night in Japan.
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