Amber in Japan: Chapter 4

I love my neighbors!

2010-08-12T06:15:00.002-05:00

So yesterday, me and my supervisor went driving to the station (which took forever in rush hour). He was showing me where it was and where to park and how to get there from the parking lot. I get free parking. Which is awesome. If i had to pay for gas + parking, I'd have decided to go by bus. His first route to the lot was too difficult. Not enough distinguishable landmarks for the many turns. But he found another more direct route which I learned pretty fast. And today during work I even made a very simple map which really impressed him. I labeled my apartment, the BOE, Fukuya, the fire department, McDs, Mipple, and Nishigaki... drew flags for the parking lot and arrows toward the station (in case I forget how to walk there).

They have to insist I take a pretty direct route to Kyoto and change trains to go to the station closest to Ryota where we are meeting. That's nice and all... but I rather change one more time and save myself 1600 yen. I think I'll be fine with my route. I hope.

I actually got my homework done for the conference. I had to create my self intro lesson. I made it a big game. i just need to make my clue cards I guess. I got my gaijin card today too :D Saturday I'm going to get my new cell phone!!!! I'll continue to use my softbank as an alarm clock.

I came home today and began to pack for my trip to the city. I don't really have an ideal bag to pack stuff in... I'll have to steal mine back from Ryota LOL. I tried numerous bags and settled on one finally. While going through my bags I found my mp3 player and remembered it needed to be charged (it died in the car this morning). So I took it downstairs and plugged it to my computer. I remembered then I needed to charge my computer because the battery was low from earlier... so I went to plug in the cord and........... GASP!!! More like AHHH! There was a HUGE spider on the wall. Like... with it's legs and all it was as big as the palm of my hand. I panicked.

I was too afraid to catch it... so I thought I'd go to my friendly next next door neighbor (not a typo) who helped me with trash earlier. I ping pong her door and no answer (I hope it's because she wasn't home LOL). So then I don't know who I should ping pong... my next door neighbor has a baby and I figured if she was home alone, she may not be able to help... so I decided on the people diagonal from me (with the guy who speaks some English). The lady answered the door and I told her hi and she remembered who I was (don't know how anyone can forget that one gaijin who lives in the area). I apologized and told her there was a spider in my apartment. And she's like "ok!" and i told her a big one! And she fetches and net (like a big one you skim a pool or fish with) and a plastic bag.

I show her the spider and she goes "Oh that's small" O.O say whaaaaat? ok... those little spiders as big as my pinky nail in my house back in FL... small. This spider??? NOT.SMALL. I'll give her medium size.... but it wasn't small. Luckily I didn't try to throw books at it like the other previous bug that entered my house (RIP) because it took her awhile to catch it. Yes. CATCH IT. SO SHE CAN RELEASE IT OUTSIDE!!! PFFT! I think it's the death penalty for entering my house. Corporal Punishment! None of this SOS (Save Our Spiders) in this house. If you wanted to kill the mosquitos, then you shoulda kept your 8-legged self outside!!

Luckily! I have a bug bomb that is set to go off at 8 am tomorrow morning :D (not really set... but I'll pop it open before leaving). My neighbor told me to open up my little closets and all the doors. I asked her if it will kill all the bugs and she said yes, and I asked her if it will kill spiders, and she said yes. WOOT! I shall get my revenge on you!!!!!!!

Blondie ^.^

2010-08-10T06:45:00.002-05:00

So another week has started. Oddly it is going by fast considering I get to see my boyfriend on Friday.

Anyways... Monday I was soooo sleepy. The heat isn't doing much to motivate me to go out on the weekends (thought I kept saying "I WILL WALK OUTSIDE FOR MORE THAN 5 MINUTES). So Sunday I took a late nap til almost 5 pm and couldn't go to sleep easily that night. I'm catching up on new dramas that have already started, specifically Hammer Session and Mioka. Anyways... so Monday I was sleepy (I used the shika~nai grammar!) because I only got 5 hours of sleep or so.

I went to my base JHS that morning introduced myself to the third year class of girls (coincidence... the school isn't all girls, they just got lucky). Then I sat at the desk and read the Twilight book I found in my apartment. I read a lot... I was just too sleepy to focus on studying. Then again I only remember so much of what I read specifically. But that's nothing new. Reading really is my worse way of learning something. (on a side note, one thing I have learned, is my learning style is doing. I have to do it to learn it... ie: I drive while my supervisor tells me directions to get some place... I won't learn as well being a passenger... ok enough rambling on learning styles).

After spending the morning at JHS, the JTE and Japanese prof there insisted on coming to my apartment and helping me with my oven. Story: Saturday I wanted to try to make an oven pizza (note: I've only seen an actual oven a few times... usually at houses where I do homestay... my oven if my microwave with the handy oven button... a handy thaw my meat because I forgot to do it myself button too). Anyways... I was use to making oven pizza before at SH2 (dorm)... preheat, pop it in, cook, eat. So I hit the buttons and preheat the oven... pretty simple. Then it stops after 5 seconds and displays U 10 on the little alarm clock like screen. That means absolutely NOTHING to me. So after trying again, I decide to take the plate out of the microwave (the one that sits on the turner). It worked... so I figured it might burn in the oven or something. So it preheats... and I place the pizza on the metal thing... U 10!!! Oy... so I put the pizza on a dish and put the dish on the metal thing... U 10!!! So I burn myself taking it out.... and I give up. Solution... the microwave turning plate goes back in. I didn't think of this because I had to take it out... thinking it doesn't go in the oven.

ANYWAYS... that totally threw off my meal schedule because I had to eat a pizza for lunch. Afterward, I went to the BoE and mostly read. The day went by so fast I thought I had passed out at some point. I needed some water so I went to Nishigaki (a smaller suupaa) before heading home. On the way out I decided to get a coke out of the vending machine while I was at one. 120 yen. I get my wallet out and DRAT i only have 200 yen... thinking I'm 20 yen short. Remember I was sleepy. I started to walk away when I stopped myself "WAIT"... hahahaha...

Today, I went to my other JHS. Let me just say, despite being further, it should be the more easier to access than my other JHS. But... yet... of course being more simple... I have to mess it up. I drove down to where the ES is and turned around then drove up this hill and turned around (I think a more or less illegal move right in front of the police station LOL). Then I found it. Everyone there is nice but a lot of big huge bugs enter the school. Most were dead. I studied Japanese a lot today.

Afterward I went to the BoE to study more. It started raining and to my surprise it seems a Typhoon is a'comin. But I don't think it should get too bad here... just some wind and rain. I tried to explain to my supervisors about Hurricane Ivan and Katrina LOL. Japanese people tend to freak about typhoons no matter how slight the impact (look through my previous blog about Melor aka Melon).

Tomorrow my supervisor will show me how to get to the station and park so I can go to Kyoto Friday. While he's there, I'm going to have him show me how to fill my gas tank. Looks like I will get my gaijin card Thursday or Friday... so Saturday I am going to get my new cell phone with Ryota. I can get it earlier and i have my useless softbank one... but I just rather wait to get my gaijin card and go with Ryota. I'm in no hurry to get one. Unlike most people (understandable... it seems like most of them have no internet at their place... yay for inaka, no way they were going to cancel the internet just so I can set it back up, lord knows how long that would've taken).

So tomorrow should be decent since I have something do besides twiddling my thumbs all day.

Thursday is another story. I'll figure it out.

Speaking twiddling my thumbs, I have decided to take the JET course. Initially, I was going to just stick with my books, and I still am. But it's only 1 lesson a day (4 pages) and I think it will help enforce what I've learned already and maybe I'll learn something new. If anything... it should be easy. The course doesn't start until November and I'm hoping to be about done with this book I'm using now.

You know, speaking wise, my Japanese isn't too bad. Besides vocab, I can usually get out what I want to say. But listening can be a totally different matter sometimes. Speaking of, one of the teachers was wanting my help with some English words... and in the end I felt like a sucky new ALT... I have seriously never seen those words before in my life. I cannot even spell them or remember them now.

Oh wellz.

Week 2 - 終わり～

2010-08-06T06:50:00.003-05:00

So week 2 of work is over. Monday I spent the whole day at the BOE, Tuesday I went to my base JHS for the morning and basically met and talked to my JTE and other teachers. The art teacher who sits across from me had all these blocks (some one square, some longer rectangular shapes) and she showed me how to glue them together and make a coaster. LOL so I have this coaster on my desk now. After eating lunch, I went back to the BOE to twiddle my thumbs.

OK, oddly in my post last week I didn't talk about me getting a car!! So last Friday me and 2 of my supervisors went to get a car about an hour drive away. We pulled into the rental place and there were a few cars sitting there. None of them very appealing but if and old car means cheaper rental price, I'll take it... but I just knew I was going to get the ugly red one. BUT I drove off in the cute little blue car. I didn't drive anywhere that weekend since I had just gotten the car and still a little nervous about driving.

So back to Tuesday. I come into the BOE and they tell me we are changing the car. So I thought maybe the found a better deal on a better car or something. So we go back to the same place..... and guess what is waiting for me? The ugly red car -_- Well I got some free service... I got to drive the blue car for free and didn't have to refill the tank before returning it AND I had free fireworks in my new red car. It'll do I guess.

Wednesday and Thursday I continued to twiddle my thumbs (this is why I haven't been updating).

Today I spent the day at my base JHS. I did a short self intro to 7 of my students that were present (boys were at a baseball game, 3rd yrs at a meeting at a high school, 3 students absent... so I talked to 7 girls). Then I twiddled my thumbs all day at the JHS. I can't wait for summer to end LOL.

I found out that the largest amount of students I have is 49 (and I think that is at the ES). The base school has 29 or so students. All the other have 30 or so. SMALL SCHOOLS!

This weekend I don't have any plans but I'm going to try to walk to the beach. Get a little exercise. Get out of the apartment. This time next week hopefully I will be arriving at Enmachi eki and can spend some time in the city :) And about a week after coming home I get to back again :D YAY FOR BUSINESS TRIPS!!

Anyways... nothing going on. I study Japanese all day. I think I pretty much decided to not enroll in JET's course. I'm just going to use my own book which I hope to be almost finished with by the time JET's course begins. People speak so fast here that basic phrases are shortened... like otsukarasama and arigatougozaimasu and ohayougozaimasu... LOL. I still have that problem of people speaking to me and I don't realize it until all I hear is "OUHOEGAO DESUKA?" (that first part is jibberish by the which is what I hear when I'm not listening).

I'm watching Hachi now on TV :) Cute puppy ^.^

I want an Akita... and I'm gonna name it bobo. Get a kitty and name it lala. We'll be a happy family <3

Almost FRIDAY!

2010-07-29T05:40:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if I'm should be excited or not. If I was in more of a city area, heck yeah, I'd be happy... but no. I'm in the country side... like, I'm pretty sure it doesn't get more country than this... and nowhere to go, nothing to do, nobody to see. I mean there are only so many things I can hold off to do for the weekend (finish unpacking, organizing, reorganizing, snooping through stuff left here).

Anyways... a summary of the interesting stuff:

I went with a group on the 4:30 am bus to Atlanta airport, it was too early. We sat for 2 hours at the gate. Our plane was late, thus they held our international flight for us =D It was nice. I have found that I shouldn't eat airplane food unless I have to. It just doesn't agree with me :( At one point I stood around the bathroom for an hour... but there was a whole party in the back, hence the hour of standing there. (FYI, I just saw the CUTEST japanese commercial LOL).

Anyways, we arrived safe and sound and not a minute too soon (thank god there wasn't a repeat of last years flight... Me: "YAY WE'RE HERE!" Pilot "There's a lot of traffic we are going to fly around for 10-15 minutes" Me: "NOOOOOOOOO GET ME OFF THIS THING!!!"). The customs/immigration line was SO.F*N.LONG! I've NEVER stood in a line that long. Except at Disney World. I think it was seriously 1 hour. Put it this way, by the time we made it through the airport and on the bus, it had been 2 hours. So we ride the bus to the hotel...

The hotel was nice, but the food was mediocre. Orientation was, no offense to people who worked so hard, boring most of the time. There were some speakers that were able to hold my attention and make me laugh... but you know I swear "Every Situation is Different" is the key phrase to the JET Program... so how can these people tell me specifics about me job? Maybe general information... but we are big enough to read the handbook right? Oh well...

After orientation I headed with the other JETs from my area by shinkansen to our placements. Once I met my supervisors, I hopped in the car, and on my way I went. I said goodbye to civilization as it slowly disappeared behind me. I'm soooo inaka that my softbank doesn't work (which has unfortunately disappeared... hopefully when the alarm goes off tomorrow I'll find it). We stopped to get groceries then finally arrived. It's as big as I imagined. It's too big. Oh well.

I hardly slept last night. It's so hot in this apartment. I took a cold shower the next morning LOL. I was off after 8 with my supervisor to the BoE. I filled out my tax paperwork, gaijin card paperwork, then sat at my desk, then visited the schools. Somehow... I now speak chinese and play tennis =/ The tennis I can explain but I'm not sure about Chinese. I told my boss I studied Spanish in high school and French in middle school. At some point he decided I spoke Chinese too LOL. He asked me about my sports and I told him I use to go to the gym and play racquetball. He says "oh soft tennis". I figured this is racquetball... because there is a word for tennis (tenisu). So at a school he's announcing I play soft tennis... and outside I am shown the girls playing soft tennis... which is tennis -_- ooyyyyy... OK. Well at least I can say some words and chinese and can possibly play some tennis (just for fun). oy...

Then I went back to the supermarket for things I forgot. My male supervisor took me. LUCKILY we ran into a female teacher... because I needed to my female stuff :p and he hid on another aisle and didn't want to touch the female stuff... or acknowledge its presence LOL. It was pretty funny to me.

Anyways... tomorrow is Friday! yay? we'll see... I can at least catch up on sleep.

My Blog and the JET Program

2010-05-20T22:15:00.004-05:00

To make things easier for everyone, I will continue to use THIS blog as my blog for the JET Program. So nobody has to deal with changing links, I don't have to set up ANOTHER blog and link it to facebook, yada yada yada. So maybe this is just easier for me....

But anyways... I did find out at the end of January this year I had an interview for JET in Atlanta. In February, after a 5 hour drive with my brother to Atlanta, and another drive back, I went through another lesson in patience. Tips for future JETs: during the interview, be yourself, know your application, and SoP. Do not memorize your strength/weakness speech and why you are the perfect candidate. This interview is much different than the one for your current low pay job. Also, with JET, get use to long waits.

In April, I received my acceptance, and recently I received my placement: Kyoto. I did not even request anywhere NEAR Kansai (the Osaka, Kyoto region, where I stayed during my most recent study abroad). I applied for this before I met my boyfriend. I was very surprised and VERY happy to get Kyoto as my placement, since it is the same prefecture as him :)

I am the only JET in my area, the next JET is 45 minutes away. At first I was pretty nervous about being placed out in the middle of nowhere. But then I see a lot of JETs being placed so close together in these bigger towns and little cities... and I just think that I can really learn Japanese faster being in this little town, I can learn more of the culture, spend less money... a lot of good things will come out of this placement and after emailing my predecessor, I'm excited about the activities I can partake in and learning new things.

So my new life starts this yaer. Nervous. Excited. This is will benefit me so greatly... I can see my goals so clearly now :)

Going Home

2009-12-30T00:38:00.002-06:00

(Sorry it's so late)

Going Home
I awoke about 9 am realizing I need to get up because lord only knows how messed up this day can get. So I get dressed and walk to get my bus ticket that I failed to get last night because during the first attempt the konbini worker did not know how to get the bus ticket. So I headed back to Erin’s, rested, bundled up, then headed to find the other konbini… which ended up being closed. So I went to another konbini where I was showed how to get the ticket but you can only buy it from 6 am - 11 pm or so and it was after midnight. So this morning I walk to get it to find out you cannot buy the ticket for the day you need it. FAIL!

OK time for plan B. What’s plan B? Well… good thing I had a 15 minute walk to figure it out. I decided to call a taxi and just try my luck at the trains… by myself… with 2 suitcases and 2 carry-ons… GANBARIMASU! So I stood at the corner where the turn for Erin’s apartment was to try to flag down a taxi… fail… Fail… FAIL! So I decided to walk to the gas station and get some help, it worked well, I got one of the attendants to call a taxi for me and ALL BY MYSELF I got the driver to the apartment, gathered my luggage, got to the station, paid and was on my way.

I had a nice guy help me into the station… not that it was hard to do. But I won’t complain. I searched for my PASMO that had still a few hundred yen on it then realized... it was still in my jacket pocket... the brown jacket... that was packed underneath a lot of stuff and locked up... FAIL AGAIN! I took the train to Nishi-Funabashi then asked the eki-in how to get to the airport from there… I was told to get on the Sobu line to Funabashi the switch to Keisei. A young girl asked me here if I needed help… and at the moment all I needed to know was if the train coming was the one I needed to ride, which it was, so I hopped on there. At Keisei, a nice old lady helped me with my luggage all the way to the Keisei line. So nice, but I was confused about her telling “Eight… Eight” I was thinking platform eight… but the Narita Airport platform was 2. Oh well, I won’t complain. I had help every now and then from other people… I guess the more nimotsu you have the more helpless you look LOL.

I arrived to the airport on the slowest Limited Express ever. What kind of tokyuu was that anyway? It stopped at every stop from Funabashi! I got to the airport around 12, checked my luggage and HALLULAH none of it was overweight :D I proceeded to get lunch… my last Shaka Shaka Chicken… I ordered 2 ^.^ And a small fry. I talked to Ryota a lot from within the airport. Security was a breeze, and immigration stole my gaijin card ;____;

I got to the gate with 40 minutes before boarding started. I took a bathroom break, bought some drinks, forgot snacks, oh well, sorry if I eat people’s snacks LOL. I talked to Ryota more. I love my Japanese cell phone. Instant email… that’s all I really need in transit.

Currently on my long flight. Full flight. Good movie selection this time. Well, there is Harry Potter at least. I’m trying to read, rest, listen to music. I think the movie is starting soon. Had maybe dinner. Teriyaki Chicken. Pretty good compared to the food on the way here.

(Belly Button Check in the USofA)

Got to love going through security in one country just to go through it again upon entering the US. My friends and I dubbed this the belly button check. Customs was easy... where everyone seemed to be interrogated, I was asked what I was doing in Japan (studying) what I was studying (Asian studies and Japanese) and then the TSA guard next to mine started talking to mine... and mine started complaining about being sick on his stomach, feeling like he was gonna puke, wanting to go home, and shoo-ed me away.

Anyways, landing in Detroit I saw a winter wonderland… there was snow on the ground :) WOOO!! That’s something I don’t see often. I wish I could have played in it. I had about 4.5 hours layover in Detroit. I checked my gate, got over there, found it (or so I thought), went to get a drink, ate at Chili's, found some internet, listened to people sing karaoke, went back to the gate, realized it was not the right gate, found my actual gate, read, slept, then woke up within 10 minutes of take off. WOOPS LOL! I got on though. The girl next to me had her little dog on the flight. It was cute.

(One more flight: I'll be home for Christmas...maybe)
Now I’m sitting in Memphis. Short layover. I won’t bother going to look for internet though I really really want to talk to Ryota. They started to announce that our flight was overbooked and if someone volunteers to leave they get accommodation for tonight, a flight for the morning, and 300$ voucher... NO THANKS! I'm going HOME! On the plane, we found out that our landing gear was stuck and we would fly with it down which means flying lower and slower making our transit time over an hour. The lady I sat next to was nice :) We talked all the way there! I ended up being 45 minutes late.

We parked at the back gate with no breezeway to walk through. Coincidentally, it is where I departed the US from in July. As I was struggling to go down the steps, I was asked by some guy at the bottom "You got it?" and I said yes, watching the stairs... despite being in the country full of kaidan (stairs) I had yet become a stair expert... I'm clutzy lol... then he asked again if I was sure... and I looked up and it was a friend of mine :) Wow, that was amazing. I sped walked through the gate and to my family. It was nice to be home. I learned they were worried because the screen with arrivals and departures never changed from saying we were on time.

Okaeri Tokyo!

2009-12-20T10:48:00.003-06:00

Tokyo trip started at 4 pm Friday afternoon when Ryota picked me up at the dorm and I said a final goodbye to everyone in the lobby (Joel, Carly, Yuji, and Otousan... now I know who cares LOL) and after a final look back at the place I stayed at since the end of August, I climbed the dreaded hill with my many luggages... ok so maybe only half because Ryota was helping... but USK

So after making it up the dreaded hill and taking my last Keihan bus ride, we arrived at Hirakatashi Eki about 30 minutes before I was meant to meet with my speaking partner for a final goodbye. After sitting at starbucks for awhile to burn time (and let Ryota have a coffee... that boy loves his coffee) I met with her. She gave me a Hello Kitty doll :) I gave her my bunny I won at the UFO catcher... it was the first time I won since being here and I got it on my first try so I think it's lucky especially because I went to Joypolis just to get that bunny. After saying goodbye and resting up, Ryota and I headed to Kyoto station!

We arrived at Kyoto Station where we would be boarding the night bus to Tokyo hours before hand so we used the time to take pictures of the big Christmas tree which lit up in sync with Christmas songs that played and ate dinner. We ate at this place that sold giant hamburgers. I haven't had a burger since I left the US in July LOL. It was nice... even though it had mustard on it >.< I missed burgers. I ate the whole thing too and my fries. After eating and talking we walked to find where the bus would come and went to konbini for snacks. We boarded the bus and left around 10 pm.

I would definitely take the night bus again for the price. It's not like I thought. Just basically a big tour bus. Ryota and I watched videos from the dance booth then Umizaru 2: Limit of Love before crashing. We arrived in Shinjuku at 6 am. Early. Cold. Dark. We hopped on the subway and rode to Tokyo station hoping to get breakfast, but didn't happen yet. We stayed there until we located a hotel in Nihombashi and then headed that way.

Unfortunately, check in isn't until 3 which is when we were due in Disney. Luckily we could still leave our bags which we did. Then we headed back to Shinjuku to find the Love sculpture, which after awhile, we did. Some people were there... one dressed as Santa and one as a Ninja, seems like they were trying to make a movie. It was kinda entertaining but we had NO clue what the heck they were doing. We went into this on building that had a pet store. I played with a cute kitten. After eating lunch and sleeping in a McDs, we headed for Disney.

At first I didn't think it was so crowded... maybe because everyone was in line for Splash Mountain. We rode the Merry-Go-Round and the Star Jets ride. We basically walked, talked, laughed, enjoyed the company of the other. We shopped in the super crowded stores and watched the fireworks. I am glad we go the startlight passport (3 pm til close) because I was so tired even though I slept on the bus and we couldn't enter the hotel and rest so I was slept in McDs and on the trains.

While in Disney, Ryota got this giant Mickey Mouse waffle and ate it. No more than 2 hours later after we left, we were in the station when he mentioned getting dinner because we haven't had dinner yet. And I was like "What do you call that waffle?" and he gave me this look and said "Snack" which I cracked up. That boy can eat... LOL I love him. He's great.

We made it back to the hotel, grabbed dinner, and rested up. I was going through pics on the computer while Ryota was filling up the bathtub. I lay down and told him I was shutting my eyes for a minute and came be side me and we both fell asleep. He never got his bath LOL. We were SOOO exhausted.

This morning we checked out and headed to Erin's to store my luggage. We talked and laughed at her place then headed out to Odaiba. We never made it there... I was trying to meet up with Jun and Manami one more times but plans kept changing so we ended up in Akihabara for awhile before meeting with Jun and Manami at Tokyo station where we sat in Starbucks and talked.

So sleepy...

Finals are OVER...

2009-12-16T02:20:00.003-06:00

...and what am I gonna do???? I'M GOING TO TOKYO DISNEY LAND :D I bought the bus ticket and Disney ticket yesterday with Ryota :) I'm excited! And I couldn't be going with a better person ^.^

So how did I do? I believe my Reading/Writing Japanese final went fairly well. Ryota tried helping me at the dorm to study, but I think he slowly saw me get tired and not focused so we went to Hirakata-shi and sat in Starbucks which worked :) I managed to get through the review sheet and relearn all the kanji I had forgotten in 5 hours! AND with his help I managed to get the xmas presents I was wanting to buy... so jealous... I want one too. Thanks to him, I think I did really good on that final. Spoken is so-so. I always finish first or close to first which worries me. But I maybe it's not a bad thing...... I hope. I never do TERRIBLE on an exam. I can never guess how I do on Spoken though because of little things. I finished my paper for my Relationships class and turned it in today after doing my paper work and getting my 100$ deposit back.

Now, I am starting to clean and pack. I managed to get most presents in one suitcase and I think maybe I can squeeze some little things into it but it's mostly full and I have space :) Thank goodness. Now I just have to worry about weight. I think there is scale in the SH I can use though. So I am taking the night bus Friday night and going to Disney Saturday :)

Yesterday, I was in the CIE with Ashlee, Ryota, and a friend of Ashlee's when these Japanese students came up to us wanting "our time". I've done so many of their questionnaires, I could not tell you how many... but this one was totally different. This girl was studying linguistics and she had a guy with her, and she wanted Ashlee, her friend, and I to "break up with him after 2 years because we found someone else" LOL! It was so funny. Mine was pretty decent I guess. I think it is difficult because I didn't know him and had no feelings so I think if it was the real thing it would be different.

I did get pictures this week from modeling in Shinsaibashi. And the designer won and will go to London and study :) That makes me happy. I'm sure he was judged on the clothes and not my modeling... because in my opinion they aren't that good. There are a few good ones though. I also got a letter from Kimiko. Kinda sad she is in Nagoya now and I won't see her again. But I should see Manami and Jun in Tokyo. YAY!

Yesterday, Tuesday, I volunteered at Tonoyama Daiichi Elementary for the last time :( I actually got to attend both classes this time. Due to finals, I was the only exchange student in the first class. I had a lot of fun and will miss the kids. The girl who looked like my sister is named Hitomi LOL.

ok bye for now ^.^

Kimatsushiken!! FINALS!!!

2009-12-12T08:03:00.003-06:00

Well this week went by really fast. Monday, Japanese classes, and I don't think anything particularly happened. Met with my discussion partner for relationships class. Tuesday was Japanese and Relationships class. Volunteer work has been moved to next week. Wednesday, Japanese classes and Communication class where nothing is going on anymore. Thursday Japanese classes and Relationships. Friday was the final day of class... Japanese and Communication. Friday was my Spoken Japanese Oral Final. I prepared fairly well I think... and it went well I think. The time limit was 6-7 minutes and I was done in no more than 5... when I looked at the grading though time wasn't something apart of it so hopefully it's all good. Also, I met up with my speaking partner. We hit up Karaoke, purikura, and took random pics around the station. Today I went to Umeda to do Xmas shopping and picked up 4 gifts.

This week is finals. I have Reading/Writing Japanese Monday, Spoken Japanese Tuesday, and my final paper for Relationships due Thursday. Friday I'm heading out via night bus with a friend to Tokyo where we will tour around to places and hit up... TOKYO DISNEY LAND :D I'm so excited. AND! AND!!!!! According to the weather website I use, there is a SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW!!!! :D!!!! That would be so awesome!

Here are some pictures from this week:

Here is the "hen" (strange) photo taken with my Spoken Japanese class and sensei. I am trying to mock my Reading/Writing Japanese sensei's angry face when she was a child LOL

Me and Joel and my Reading/Writing Japanese sensei!

KGU's hidden garden

My Speaking Partner and I :D

1 Week Later

2009-12-05T21:33:00.003-06:00

You know... I envy Joel, being able to write in his blog everyday. It's not that I have a boring life and can't... just have such an exciting life I have no time LOL

This week has to be one of my most relaxing weeks in awhile. I had a lot of assignments but NO tests/quizzes. In Spoken Japanese we finished watching the drama, had a conversation day with Gaidai students, did our skits, and then reviewed for a test Monday. Our skit went well :) I hate that we have to vote for the best... some people take it to heart. No, my group didn't win, but I just want a good grade... I don't care about cross-dressing people and making something funny, as long as I get a good grade. We got to eat cake :D I have it on video too. That will be some good memories.

CAKE <3 from the 99 store haha

In Reading and Writing Japanese we just continued on with kanji study. We did sing karaoke in class one day HAHA. In my relationships class we are just continuing on with lecture. In Communication we are just doing presentations. Communication class is basically over. I did my presentation Friday... nothing else to do except show up and listen to everyone else! WOOT! Relationship class I have a short paper due Tuesday then my final paper due next week. Japanese classes I have some final tests and assignments and Oral test at the end of this week and written tests next week. I'm done with classes next Tuesday.

This past Tuesday I went back to Tonoyama Daiichi Elementary school. Teaching plan was "I am ...ing". I feel like it was pretty difficult for the students to learn all the vocabulary that fast. I go again this Tuesday for the last time and there is a workshop at Komatsu Friday but I'm not sure if I am going there yet.

It was a pretty awesome week :) Sunday I watched Angel and Demons with a friend, we also watched Liar Game together and rented Eurotrip and 1 Month to Live (a Japanese movie) to watch. Have watched the 1 Month to Live yet... Excited to see it though <3 Friday was karaoke with the dance booth members.

Rocking out to lord only knows what XD

It was fun :) Saturday I went to Kuzuha to hang out and go to a pet shop to shop for my kitty and the new addition to our family... our dog Toto. Toto got a pillow and my kitty got a new toy.

I saw this puppy... I so want it <3 KAWAII!!!

I was suppose to go to Takuma's for a Nabe Party with his family but... well long story short... I was running late (blame the cute puppy!) and I got his message too late and went off to Yakitori and Karaoke instead. Shikata ga nai.

Status: not motivated to study (is that even a status???)

♥ LIGHT UP ♥

2009-11-28T07:41:00.003-06:00

Sounds Christmas-y doesn't it??? WELL IT'S NOT! Light up is when temples light up the trees. Because it's fall now, the trees are pretty fall colors, red, orange, yellow, etc. It is very pretty. So many people go and see the light up. Today I went to Kyoto with my friend Ryota and we walk around and went to a temple at night to see a light up :) Here are some pics!

Mountain with fall colors

Crowd of people from the front and behind us going up to Kiyomizudera

LOOK KANJIS! Can you read the pictures??? ;)

Sakura tree! But no sakura right now :(

Pretty tree :)

Pretty view going up to the temple

Light up in the zen garden

Light up with some SPIRITS =ooo!!!

A bunch of fall colors :)

Note: for light up, 1) wear comfy shoes, 2) get to the temple early unless you want to stand in an uber long line!, 3) don't forget your jacket if it's cold, 4) don't forget your camera!, 5) bring a good friend ♥

We met at 11 at school, got some lunch, then headed to Kyoto. We walked around for awhile, a long while, walking to many temples, including Kiyomizu... we didn't go in, but walked back to another temple to get in line for tickets for light up. This was like Disney World if you stretched the line for Splash Mountain! At least it moved fast. My feet were killing me from my boots, I kept trying to sit, but the line kept moving. The light up was pretty. I'm glad I got to see one!

Current status: tired!!!!!

Adventures in Volunteering and Modeling

2009-11-27T06:49:00.003-06:00

This week was filled with awesome activities... and some not so awesome activities *cough* tests, quizzes *cough*

Tuesday, I had a test in Spoken Japanese, went to my teaching meeting and received the lesson plan, went to my relationships class, then to Tonoyama Daiichi Elementary school! We taught "I like..."/"I don't like..." using mainly school subjects. Speaking of school subjects, here is a schedule of a class at Tonoyama Daiichi. Subjects include: Reading, Japanese, Social Studies, Calligraphy, Integrated Studies, Math, PE, Music, Math, Science, etc etc

Wednesday, I had permission from my Kawano-sensei to go to an intercultural exchange at a kindergarten rather than going to class. I found asking the teachers and telling me what I am doing and I why I find it important and a great opportunity etc etc works very well. So, I went with a small group to Konoike Kindergarten. Note: This seems a lot like a preschool, meaning kindergarten is in preschools here, and also I'll note here elementary schools are 1st-6th grade.

This is Konoike Kindergarten. Looks like a castle eh? Pretty cool! We played with 5-6 year old kids. When we got there, we went up to the room and the kids were playing just some indoor games (tag, jump rope... wait those don't sound indoor LOL) and I jumped in and introduced myself and played with kids until they left temporarily. Basically here we played head, shoulders, knees, and toes with them and taught them Rock Paper Scissors in English. No matter what language I play this game in, the Japanese kids always win. I'm not sure why they are so good at! Moving on, I had a test that day in Communication. While studying, I was sitting in the lounge by myself when a guy came up to me and started chatting. Then he got to why he wanted to talk... he has a friend at a fashion school who needs someone to model clothes... well been there done that, guess I'll do it again. I gave him my email to pass on.

Thursday I had a quiz in Japanese, started watching a drama called "Kekkon Simulator" (Wedding Simulation) and we did our role plays in relationships. Ours was so-so. The other groups had some great ideas. My group had an idea but when I was trying to work on the script, I was finding it too short, so I started thinking the idea was too simple and slept on it... and wrote up a rough idea and new script which we adopted. This past Monday the group put it together. I guess because it was so hastily put together, it wasn't so good. It worked. At least I'm not the only one who feels the role play didn't act the actions perfectly...

Today, Friday, I woke up early and Skype'd with my family for Thanksgiving! It was nice to see them and talk... even though it was 5:30 am >.< I have decided to buy one of those tiny fleece blankies to wrap up in. Given they are worth the price.

This morning, another quiz in Japanese and continued to watch the drama. I took my work due in Communication to my professor since I was taking another holiday to do an intercultural exchange at an elementary school. Before going, I met up with Takuma and his girlfriend in the lounge near the atrium. We talked for awhile, his girlfriend and I trying to get him to stop smoking. It's a funny conversation. She is very pretty :) I'm going to his house next weekend for a Nabe party. His girlfriend will be there too.

I went to Kasuga Elementary with a decent size group of Japanese and exchange students. It took 4 taxis, free for us, to get to the school.

There is the school. We arrived and the kids were so excited to see us... constantly saying hello... in fact some started yelling "HISASHIBURI" (long time no see) and I was thinking "Hisashiburi???? Have I met you before???" haha. We made name tags and visited two classrooms where students made various booths and taught us about various aspects of Japanese culture such as places, pop culture, sports, etc. Afterward we played dodgeball outside. Not as scary as the dodgeball game from hell that we played at Meirin.

Mai and I sitting at the tiny desks :) Oh elementary school... to be young again!

After volunteering I broke the Amber record from walking to the station from the school. Today I was meeting Junko, the design student, to model clothes in the a photo shoot. I was only a few minutes late thanks to my fast walking. I didn't realize the school was so far away so that messed me up.

The school is in Shinsaibashi and originated in Paris. A very good school, very pretty. The guy who took the photos designed the clothes and the photos are for a competition, if he wins he gets to go to London. A girl did my make up for about 15 minutes before doing my hair. I wore 3 different outfits. Took a lot of photos. Modeling is harder than it seems, but it was enjoyable :) I was paid too, a bit more than I expected... I do not mind them paying for my travel expenses and buying a drink for me... but anymore just makes me feel weird. I understand though from the previous stylist I modeled for in the fashion show that even as students they take their work seriously and it's like a business to them. I hope the guy does good! His clothes were awesome! He is going to mail me pictures as well. I'm excited to see! I kept hearing good compliments during the photo shoot, and I laughed inside when he said "STAY" and took the picture of my pose from every angle.

Tomorrow, I'm going to hang out with Ryota. Looking forward to it :) This week has been pretty good.

Current status: PooPeD!!! as in tired...

Time to layout my schedule for next week to see what to expect! Going back to Tonoyama Daiichi :)

Kyoto: Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizudera

2009-11-23T18:54:00.003-06:00

Monday my dad and I finally traveled somewhere: KYOTO! My usual Monday alarm went off, waking me during my REM sleep and my eyes were still REMing when I woke up >.< I got dressed, almost forgot the big duffel of my clothes my dad is taking back to the US for me (my suitcases were packed when I came here... and after all the things I bought... ZETTAI MURIDAYO!), and met my dad at the hotel. I had to run to catch my bus. Lately, I've been using the bus schedule to get to the bus stop just in time... and I look at it and the next bus is in 10 minutes, which is plenty of time if I go right then. And with the big heavy bag on my shoulder I had to try to run a bit faster.

I got the just when dad was trying to figure how much it would be if he didn't checkout by 10, which he didn't have to worry about after all. We planned to go meet my friends at 11 at the Fushimi Inari station so with time to spare we hit up Starbucks before hopping on a train. For the record, no express trains go to Fushimi Inari... I think the fastest train was the blue train. Which is almost no better than a local train HAHA.

So we start riding and I get off at the wrong stop... in fact I exit the station at the wrong stop! We got off at Fushimi Momoyama (I think is the name). I check my train map in my schedule book (I have the entire train map of Tokyo and Osaka and subways from all over Japan... did I mention these maps are entirely in Japanese? Kanji too), and we buy a 200 yen ticket and continue on to the correct station. Where we meet Mai (we volunteer together). Mai's friend, luckily had my email address because I forgot to write hers down, also had traveling problems. So it all worked out good. We all waited for each other.

Fushimi Inari was awesome. So many toriis!!! I wonder how many there are. We didn't climb all the way to the top though. I guess we took the weenie route down 1/3 of the way up LOL. We did run into TWO pet-able kitties :D I haven't pet a kitty since I left home! The cats here are wild and just run away :( I bought a torii (a little one) and my cell phone charm + a soft Inari cats eye charm! I mean so sooooo soft too! Super cute :) Here are some pictures!!

Inari the fox. His temple!

Seeing double? Both paths went the same way by the way.

Toriis! Feel like you are in Memoirs of a Geisha yet?

Me and the toriis

Fall leaves!!!

The second of two kitties I got to pet :) This one was comfortably sun bathing.

Afterward we went to Kiyomizudera. I decided to go to the Kiyomizu Gojo station... after walking to the temple I started thinking the Gion station that we went to when I went with the dance booth members was closer. Not sure if I am wrong or right... I got a little lost trying to go back the way I went with the dance booth members. I knew I saw a Family Mart and I hadn't eaten really the whole day and I wanted to find it. Anyways, at Kiyomizu we walked around... it was really crowded. I bought an omamori :) AND GOT A GOOD FORTUNE FOR ONCE!! YAY :) I drunk from the fountain... I'm not sure what kind of luck I drank though LOL. I could use some luck no matter what kind it is.

After Kiyomizu we headed back on an overly crowded limited express train. Next time, I'm just going to take sub express. It's not like we were in a hurry. Sub express wouldn't have been so crowded. I was so pooped by the time we go to back to Hirakata-shi. We sat in the atrium of the station and I tried to think of something that to do that involves sitting since we had time to spare before needing to go to the airport... come on... what did I choose to do???? Shouldn't be that hard to figure out... What is something fun to do that involves sitting? KARAOKE!!! So we hit up karaoke for an hour before heading to the airport. It was fun :)

I took dad back to the airport, an easier way that when I went to pick him up. It may not have been cheaper, and may or may not have taken as long, but it was sooo much easier. Hirakata-shi to Kyobashi on the Keihan line, Kyobashi to Tennoji on the JR Loop Line, Tennoji to Kansai Airport on the Airport express train. Then do it in reverse!! I didn't get back to the dorm til almost 11. I hate how much I have been eating McDs lately but I've been so busy. I think starting today it is back to cooking and packing bento.

I'm trying to remember what day of the week it is LOL. Holidays throw me off. Festivals too. And we just had both!

Current status: hungry, sleepy, but mostly hungry.

I ♥ FESTIVALS!!!

2009-11-22T08:38:00.005-06:00

Friday kicked off the Gaidai Festival which is the festival for the Gaidai students (the Japanese ones). The clubs and circles set up booths and sold various items, majority food, majority takoyaki. I did find a booth with AWESOME yakitori for 50 yen a stick :D I think they got 500 yen out of me total. I tried all the yakitori I found. That booth happened to be the cheapest and best! Also, there was a free hug booth from my red ranger <3

That's my new black jacket by the way!! The sleeve on the one I brought from home is ripping off >.< Oh well, this one is super warm :)

Friday I helped the dance booth prep the room for Saturday, the starting of the INFES (International Festival... the International student's festival... with some Gaidai students thrown in LOL). At around 2:20 I went to town, bought a CD after losing track of time... good thing though. I started heading to the airport to pick up my dad, and luckily I lost track of time, and by the time I got the SMS from him saying "I missed my flight" I had only hopped on one train. So I went back to the school. I talked to him and he said due to the political issues in Afghan he wasn't able to leave. But we talked it out and we decided he'd come Saturday. Shortens the trip though. Shikata ga nai!!!

I wasn't expected at the final rehearsal for the dance booth but I went anyways. Because I didn't have my costume (I wasn't expecting to be going) I was asked to watch... which kinda made me sad. I ended up leaving. I could be doing some homework or finishing Bloody Monday... something that is not sitting there. So I just left.

Saturday!

Let the INFES begin :)

Here's the dance booth...

More like a room. ANYWAYS... I went to the first performance and left right after our show and went to the airport. Takes like an hour and half to get there the cheap way LOL. I did find until I had to switch to the line that goes to the airport. I saw the red train thinking "oh limited express!" and hopped on this nice looking train... looks almost like a shinkansen. By the time I realize that maybe I shouldn't be on this train (I was like the only one who got on it, at least from my side of the platform) the doors had shut so I sat down and proceeded to turn off my mp3 player because I was sure about to get into trouble.

I was right... sorta. I tried to play the dumb gaijin card, but that doesn't work when attendant speaks English. This train is the rapid express... certain cars are 500 yen extra, the one I was in, 700 yen. So I told her I made a mistake and I was the free train. So I get off at the next stop and switch 15 minutes to the orange train. Picked up dad, headed back, met Kanako at the station and checked in to the hotel. The hotel isn't as nice as the one I had in Tokyo. In fact in the hallway part of the ceiling dips some and dad has to duck. He also had to duck through the doorway to get into the room. And the bathroom must be fun for him too LOL. It's decent and good price too though so no complaints.

After dropping the stuff off we went to Kappa Sushi by bus. Conveyor belt sushi... dad's face was priceless when he saw it. It was also priceless seeing him figure out which restroom was the mans. HAHA it was written in kanji! I was very entertained by this conveyor food place. I couldn't stop staring at it. And I was surprised when the "shinkansen" food passed by. There was a touch screen menu so you can order specific stuff and it came out on a track above the conveyor belt on this shinkansen looking like tray. I had some inari, hamburger steak, and chocolate mousse :D It was good mousse too! We went to karaoke for an hour afterward forgetting it was the weekend and more expensive >.< DOH! Oh well..

Sunday!

I wasn't planning on going to the festival Sunday, but after dad missing Saturday we decided to cancel Nara and head to the festival. I'm glad we did. I danced the first performance again and then we planned to go to Osaka castle... but not after seeing the cheerleaders first!!

Belly Dance! I PR'd from the second floor window and got 6 guys to come to the performance too :D Afterward I met Ryota's parents. They started telling me if I come to their hometown they would show me around and I should come and all this sweet stuff and I'm not sure which one of us, Ryota or I, were blushing more. His dad talked to my dad as well. And did I see a picture be taken of them too???

Anyways, back to the cheerleaders. So in America, there is this whole argument whether cheerleading is a sport or not. Well, I have the answer now. In America... no. In Japan... yes, heck yes. KGU's cheerleaders make every cheerleading squad I've seen in America look like amateurs. I got video of their whole performance. I never looked forward to or enjoy a cheerleading performance so much. And these girls are so sweet too... which I cannot say the same for a lot of American cheerleaders.

These girls are true athletes. And I love their attitude. Throughout the performance they encouraged and supported each other. Also, when I watch a performance in America, I can always tell who is the head cheerleaders. In Japan, if they have one, I cannot tell who it is. They all seem to lead together. They have great communication. I was so impressed. I've watch the video twice.

AND THEY MAKE KANJI WITH THEIR POMPOMS!!!! They spelled out 2009, Gaidai <3 (above), Joy !?, and Pairu-tsu (in Katakana). It was awesome. And it was so fast when they did it and so precise. Everything they did was so precise. They are so great. And I do not talk good about cheerleaders often. Then again I've never talked about cheerleaders outside of American ones. They are so dedicate in Japan. I actually didn't plan to watch the whole performance... I have that short term attention span, especially because it was cold and I was getting hungry, and I'm not really a big fan of cheerleaders... but I could not stop watching them. My friends and I laughed about cheerleaders from America who come here and see them and then question what they learned in America. Anyways... WOW. Sorry I cannot post the video... too big.

Afterward, I planned to go to Osaka Castle but it was starting to get rainy and more cold. So we head back to the hotel and looked at pictures and watched some TV, hit up McDs for lunch, walked around book off the rested at the hotel. I headed back early to study.

Monday is a holiday... we are headed to Kyoto. Fushimi Inari. Kiyomizudera.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday I'm volunteering and some Elementary schools :)

5 quizzes/tests this week!!! And a project due! AND A ROLE PLAY!

Goodnight ^.^

Preparing for INFES

2009-11-17T07:13:00.002-06:00

INFES = International Festival

This week is super busy!!! Lots of rehearsals and prep for the dance booth! Thursday is prep, and I'm hoping maybe the Belly Dancers can squeeze in a practice. Because my dad is coming in Friday I can't make it to the final rehearsal. I believe we get one rehearsal Saturday before we perform (YAY). Today was the most dancers I've ever danced with... 5 of us, only missing one person today! After learning last week I was doing the dance backwards (we are mirrored, opposites of each other, and I was learning from the girl on the other side, so I was doing it there way... woops) today wasn't half bad I think! But I do have to give speech about the history of belly dance in Japanese (of course). That shall be fun...

Here are pictures!

I am the pink poster doll LOL

Belly Dance Poster

4/6 Dancers in costume :D

So yes my dad will be here... Friday I will pick him up, and we'll eat dinner and maybe hit up karaoke that night. I dunno yet. Saturday he'll come to the festival and see me dance. Afterwards, my speaking partner and I will take him to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Possibly after hitting up Midori and hyaku en stores. Sunday is Nara. Monday is Kyoto, possibly Osaka, and he'll leave that night... so short...

And then Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday I'm volunteering with kids. I just can't get enough.

Another Day at the Elementary School <3

2009-11-11T06:59:00.003-06:00

Today is the Uni's anniversary so no school! My plans: go to Meirin Elementary, go to Kuzuha, go to karaoke. I give this day 100 out of 10 stars :D

So I had to meet at the bus stop on campus at 8:45 am. It didn't hit me til last night that because the school is on holiday, that unless something is going on, the East gate (which is how I get to school, through the East gate) might be closed. I thought I'd leave a bit early. If it's not closed, I can get breakfast, if it's closed, I won't be late. It's funny how I actually made it early! I'm usually late for my 9am classes, but I can make it on time to meet for this.

It's raining... and yes the east gate was closed. I looked at the time and I still had 20 minutes which was enough time to get to the Main gate. Two girls are standing outside the gate, thank goodness, they are apart of the group because the campus is closed the guards are not letting people in without a good reason. So they are my good reason. We stand around waiting.... I think it was the Japanese students + 6 exchange (inc me). Only 4 (inc me) showed up. So we walk about 10 minutes to the school.

We arrive at the school, switch our shoes for slippers, and go to the boardroom where maybe the principal? speaks to us. He speaks Japanese so slow hoping we will understand LOL. I understood just fine. The school only has around 200 students, 1st-5th grade MINUS 4th grade... no 4th grade. In the boardroom we make name cards to wear and a poster where we write down a hobby we have. I put Karaoke and draw some pictures.

Next we head to the Gym where, for some reason us 4 international students go ahead with full applause. Yet another celebrity like experience. It was even more so because people were taking pictures constantly, EVEN THE PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE HIRAKATA SHINBUN! So we are going to be in the paper :D When I find out when, I will buy a bajillion copies! In the gym we introduce ourselves to the students: name, nationality, and hobby.

Afterward, the first thing we do is watch the 3rd grade perform Eisar, which is a Okinawan dance I believe. It was awesome, and I had realized I left my camera in the boardroom ;_; The other American guy got a small video though so I want to try to swipe it. That is all we see of the 3rd graders. They leave and we play with the 1st and 2nd graders.

First game is TAG! Two students were chosen as "police" and everyone else was a "thief". The police tagged people and then when tagged the person and police held hands and they became police. You hold hands until you have 4 people the split into two. I got tag quick because I wanted to run with a kid and not away from one ^.^ THEY ARE FAST LITTLE BOOGERS! The game was timed and in the end only maybe 5 boys were not tagged.

Second game was Janken... Rock Paper Scissors. The lady wanted us to explain to the kids how we play in our home countries. I was first. I told them we call it "Rock, Paper, Scissors" then call go or shoot, whatever, maybe you call nothing just go. And the lady kept saying "Scissors, Paper, Rock" o.O Well, I learned from the Australian girl, that is how it is said there. Whatever. Mai, from Vietnam, had fun teaching how to say it in her language. So we marched around to this song, when the music stops, you play Janken with whoever is near you. The loser gets behind the winner and you start forming a train. I won once... but it wasn't fair because I think I lost at first but the girl thought I was confused and we did it a few times. I lose the second time around. We trained around and finally lost in the end. But it was so much fun.

Third game is hard to explain. It's called the Hunting Game. This one male teacher said these 4 phrases... then pointed twice going "AH!" then said a word. Depending on the syllables of the word, you formed a group with that number of people. It was pretty random, I don't think there was any winning or losing. For instance, if he says "kutsushita" that is "ku-tsu-shi-ta" 4 so you make a group of 4. At one point the teacher handed me the paper to read the phrases... I don't know if I did it right. But it was fun.

That was the end of playing with the 1st and 2nd graders. We gave them comments, thanks, and they went on there way. We took a short break and went back out there to play with the 5th graders.

The first game was long rope jumping. We were in two teams and timed for 5 minutes how many jumps we can get. I amazingly could run in the spinning rope, jump, and get out... after all these years. Pretty good for an old college senior :D We got 134 jumps I believe. And won.

The second game was Dodgeball... the dodgeball game from hell. I have NEVER played dodgeball like this!!! I play dodgeball, two teams, throwing balls, you get hit, you are out, if all your members get out, you lose. This... is the worst game ever. I am standing on my time watching for balls coming from the opposite side and a ball hits me in the back... and I'm like "WTF" it came from behind. So the teachers are telling me to go over to the other side, standing behind the team... then I realize that if you get out, you go behind the other team and throw balls from behind (which is how I got hit)! So not only do you have you have to pay attention to the people in front throwing balls, but the people behind as well.

Out of all the games we get to play again, it had to be dodgeball from hell. Three times. The third time, this one girl got hit in the eye, soon after my foot got stepped on, so I went over to where she was crying and comforted her. AND HERE THEY COME WITH CAMERAS!! I'm thinking "please don't take pics of her crying!!! especially because people will think I made her cry!!"

The games ended and we said our comments, thank yous, and the 5th graders went on their way. We headed upstairs where we went into one big empty room with two doors for two separate classrooms. We peeked in on two classes. I love the set up of the schools here. It's so awesome. After peeking, we entered a similar room, for another grade level, but not empty. Kids were playing in what we call centers (different groups doing different activities). We were going to do activities with them :D

Now, I think centers in America, I think coloring, board games, play doh, fun stuff. In Japan, it's totally different. The first corner (as it is called here I think, that is what we called it) I went to was juggling. I juggled cute bean bag animals with the little kids. I felt bad because they told me to choose my two favorite animals, and I picked two and started juggling them because I know how and they wanted to teach me how! SORRY! I let them teach me how to juggle with two people.

The second center was the spinning top. I spun some regular tops first then a girl taught me how to wrap a string around a top and let it go with the string. This I never mastered. I'm not sure what was harder... wrapping the string or letting it go properly. I was bad at both.

The third center, I played with this awesome toy that I want to find a buy. You stack these round blocks and with a little hammer/mallet, you hit them really fast out from each other one by one so the one you hit shoots out like a hockey puck and the others crash down. You have to do it fast enough so the stack of blocks do not fall over. It took me awhile to actually master this but I did! I know trick :D

The fourth center, I played with the cup and ball toy that I have experience with, but still not very good at. I learned a new way of holding it so I do better and I can flip it around but I cannot catch the ball still. This one little girl could flip it on its side and upside down and catch it every time. She was really good.

I did get pictures and video... but due to privacy I cannot post them. SORRY But if you are ever curious about the schools or want to see (especially that block and mallet game) just ask me :)

After leaving the school, I returned the dorm. Carly, Joel, and I made a quick lunch then began our walk to Makino, stopping for Carly to get money, then taking the train to Kuzuha. I have never been to the mall there. Nothing really good there besides Uniqlo but there is one in Hirakata-shi station, a bookstore, a sucky HMV... I think I'll go back before I leave because there was a Loft. I bought a new sweater at Uniqlo :D 2000 yen = a steal!

After the mall we returned to Makino and hit up Karaoke. Somehow we got out of karaoke very cheap. We payed 100 yen for 2 hours plus 200 yen for a drink... so 300 yen. My roomie was wondering how that happened because it is 100 yen per hour before 6 pm. Oh well. After singing we did purikura in my favorite booth with the monkey bars. My awesome friend Erin downloaded the pic so I have in my keitai now :D

All in all, today was awesome. I hate that I cannot share pics here of the school, but I can understand. Days like today, being at the school, bring me so much joy. I cannot remember when I felt so happy. Its days like these I wish someone from the JET Program was peaking around the corner and could see how much I enjoy it and really want to be apart of the program. I did mail in my application... so I can let it go until next year.

I wish I could move out of SH2....

2009-11-06T08:46:00.003-06:00

I really do love all the friends I've made in the seminar house, I'm glad I chose this house, but I hate the disrespectful people who have no business being here. We JUST HAD A MEETING WHERE AT LEAST 5 PEOPLE SPOKE UP ABOUT CLEANING AFTER YOURSELF IN THE KITCHEN... and I heard that people went out drinking and left the kitchen a mess tonight. I hope Karma really does come and bite these people in a$$ one day. It's people like them I do not want to see make it in the JET Program. It's people like them who should not be here in the first place. If it was not already paid for, I'd be out of here.

OK, enough venting.

One more week down. I should write how difficult it is to apply for the JET Program while abroad. Not so easy. But I am almost done. I think the hardest part is the Statement of Purpose. I want this so bad, I want everything to be perfect. Thanks to all the awesome people who have read it, sometimes more than once haha.

Amazingly, I went into town the other day with Kanako and we went to reserve my dad's hotel and go to karaoke, then I asked her if she knew how to make gyudon. I bought the meat, but I did not know what else to do. She showed me in the supermarket a box, that contained a bag, that you boil in water, and WALAA you made gyudon. I was skeptic... but I made it last night. And it was GREAT! I'm bringing some home <3 I took leftovers in my plastic container today for lunch, but forgot something to eat it with, so I asked the people in the konbini for some chopsticks and they said I had to buy a bento or something to get them......... so I just bought McDs and ate my leftovers for dinner.

Cozy, Productive Day <3

2009-11-03T07:53:00.003-06:00

So today was a holiday (don't ask me to name which one, I can't keep up with them anymore)... NO SCHOOL <3 Perfect day for no school... it was COLD OUTSIDE! So with the heater on and my cozy blanket I decided to have a pajama day :D

I went to sleep around 2 am, woke up at 9:30ish, and I made some eggs and toast for breakfast. I decided afterward I was going to have a productive day (compared to the weekend where I got half my book read, awesome accomplishment, but not so productive). So, I finally got my pen and paper and started writing Orei no Tegami (Thank you letters) to Jun, Jun's mom, and Manami and Kimiko. I printed a few extra pictures during the Umeda trip to send to them. I miss them <3

So I started writing, realizing, I need to figure out what to say and how to say it properly. We have a chapter in letter writing in the textbook and it helps but I decided to go to Yuji. I wrote, he read and corrected, and I wrote a very formal letter to Jun's mom, he read and checked, then I wrote a letter to Manami and Kimiko. I had Aki read the final drafts. Everything is perfect. So I can to my room to put them in envelopes and address them... and realized I forgot how to do that. So back to Yuji. He showed me how to address the envelopes properly. Got it done, and returned to my room to stick the pictures and letters in. Once I finished, I realized I was starting to get hungry... Lunch time?

No, not lunch time... it was 4:30 (seriously... it took me all afternoon to write 3 letters! maybe I did something else and can't remember *BLOND* possibly pokemon watching). I had gotten everything done today... except homework and lunch. Silly me. I decided to finish off my chocolate chip cookies (3 packs in 16 days... someone give me an OINK OINK :D ). That held me over. I wanted to get my JET Application out of the way by tomorrow, but it looks like now it won't happen due to so many things needed. BLAH! I can't wait for it to be done.

I walked to Sanko for the Tuesday sale with Joel. Too late, mostly everything was gone, but I should shop on Tuesdays... 100yen bread, 88 yen eggs, half price meat, 40% off frozen goods... !!!!!! I grabbed some pork chops, meat to make gyudon (yes I am going to attempt this), some veggies, and I FOUND MY ICE CREAM :D WOOO~! I made some nice curry for dinner.

In the midst of curry making, I was looking for a specific knife. It is now November and everyone in the Seminar House is getting lazy and the buckets with all the cooking ware is such a mess. People are dropping utensils in the bucks with pans and stuff and they are going to the bottom forever lost. So I finally have had it and I emptied all the cooking pan tubs and organized them (lids, bowls, pots, pans, big pots, strainers... which we have a lot of for some reason...) then later organized the utensils with Carly. I give it a week... it will be a mess again ;_; But it so much easier to find what you need (given people clean their dishes... which is what my speech is about at our house meeting Thursday *sigh* why me?)

Homework is done. Going into town with Kanako tomorrow to reserve my dad's hotel room and go to karaoke <3 YAAAAY :D

The Great Kuzuha Adventure Part 2: Mystery of the Disappearing Book-Off

2009-10-31T02:27:00.002-05:00

So today started a new allowance day. Thank God because JAY'ED's new CD is out and I want it! After cooking pancakes and saying Sayonara to my roommate until late Sunday night (she is going to Nagoya to see her friend and I have the room to myself), I started my adventure.

The day when Joey and I took our little (well, not so little) night time walk to what ended up being Kuzuha, I found a Book-Off. Book-Off is used CDs, DVDs, Manga, etc, very cheap and very awesome! I remember seeing Book-Off that night (twice so on the way there and on the way back) and saying I need to come back and visit. Each Book-Off has it's own selection and some carry more stuff than others like clothes and purses (I particularly love the used purse section). It seemed to be two stories high and sitting at an intersection corner.

Today, I decided I would walk to the post office in Makino, get money, stop at Sanko on the way back and get needed groceries (Sanko has good sales Tuesdays because they are closed Wednesday so I didn't want to buy too much), drop it off at the dorm then head to Book-Off and Tsutaya (I saw a sign for Tsutaya that night too).

After accomplishing the bank and Sanko trip, I put the groceries away and headed out. I start walking pretty confident the Book-Off is no more than 20 minutes away. So I walk.... and found myself at a familiar intersection. I realized then this is an intersection I go through to go to Makino, where Joey and I were trying to go that night. We missed a turn... second intersection, turn left. ANYHOW I continue to walk... and walk............. and walk... and I find the "TSUTAYA THIS WAY" sign. I'm thinking it can't be far from the Tsutaya. So I keep walking... and walking......... and I'm at the place where Joey and I turned. I think here it can't be much further.

So I turn.... and walk......... and walk...................... after walking for some time I start thinking I imagined the Book-Off when I see "BUY SELL BOOKS DVDS CDS" (in Japanese of course) and I get excited!!! I FOUND IT!!! ....wait, this isn't Book-Off. So I decide to pass up this place and keep walking straight. By this time I have walked to Kuzuha... again. I give up on this direction and decide to hit up the Book-Off wannabe store. I go there and it's nice but I couldn't find anything used (they had new as well) that I wanted, and really wanted to go to Book-Off. So I come out and think... he we turned down this road and walked... maybe I found it down this way.

So I walk......... and walk.... and OH FAMILY MART LUNCH! I stop and get a drink and spicy chicken for lunch. At this point I'm pretty content with my food and decided to give up on the Book-Off. I'm not sure what happened to the Book-Off, so readers choose for yourself...

1) I did not go far enough
2) I imagined a Book-Off, twice, that night
3) I confused the wanna-be shop with Book-Off that night
4) I am blond and passed it, twice, today
5) It was there but was replaced with the wanna-ba store

I was actually thinking 3, but that store doesn't look like the one I remembered. I will have to look up the locations for Book-Off and see (which I coulda swore I did before).

So I walk back deciding to just hit up Tsutaya. My CD is pretty new so I'm sure it would not be in Book-Off anyways. But I really want Aoyama Thelma "LOVE" with the DVD. So I start walking back to find the Tsutaya. I think I am lost as I am walking and it has disappeared too (and I am thinking "just watch, Amber, you are going to find the Book-Off after searching for over an hour"... that didn't happen though thank goodness). I eventually do find the sign "TSUTAYA THIS WAY" and start walking that way. I feel like I'm on a road where I will find a Wal-Mart... then I think "Amber, you are silly, there is no Wal-Marts in Japan."

I DO FIND THE TSUTAYA! Good, because I wasn't walking for my health! I walk in and my jaw drops... this Tsutaya has an awesome book selection :D I've been looking for a book store so I can buy an Intermediate Japanese book and part 2 to my Kanji book from Sophia. Unfortunately, the selection wasn't THAT good ;_; BUT! I do find Angels and Demons! IN JAPANESE! AND TINY! So I am looking at it awe and see the price.... like 590 yen... so cheap. Then realize it is in 3 parts so multiply it by 3 and it's about 1800 yen for the full story. But I am still happy. I love this book. So I get part 1. I may or may not read it, and may not finish it if I try... but it is awesome to have. And I get my JAY'ED CD.

So in the end, mission accomplished. But the mystery still lingers... what happened to the Book-Off!?!?!!?

My purchases

Readers... meet Aoyama Thelma

2009-10-26T03:26:00.002-05:00

So last night I went to the Aoyama Thelma concert.

Air and I took the 4:15 purple express train to the venue. We arrive about 30 minutes later (YAY FOR PURPLE EXPRESS!) We were able to get in line early. While waiting these girls came around and told us that Thelma's birthday is in 2 days and we can write her a birthday message in a notebook they had. Because I know the singer is fluent in Japanese and English, I wrote in English because 1) I can't write happy bday in kanji and didn't want to take the time to look it up, and 2) my English would stand out amongst the Japanese messages.

Sadly, pictures and video was not aloud :( Because I was with my speaking partner's younger sister who did not want me to break the rules and we were seated in a spot that I could easily be caught, I didn't get pics... BUT AIR DID!

There is one. The concert was awesome. I dance, sang, cried, and we sang Happy Birthday to her at the end when the crew surprised her with a cake and present. They took a pic of her with the audience in the back and it is suppose to be put on her blog, so I'll try to get it and we can play Where's Waldo with me :D

Here are some youtube videos of her if anyone is interested. It is Pop/R&B. She has to be one of my favorite singers of all time.

"Soba ni Iru ne" Guinness World Record song for most downloads via Japanese Cell Phone

"Wanna Come Again" One of her newer songs

Fantastic Concert :) Happy Birthday Aoyama Thelma!

Get Ready... GET SET...

2009-10-24T09:27:00.004-05:00

GOOOOOING TO AOYAMA THELMA'S CONCERT TOMORROW :D

Until then, here are some pictures from Tonoyama Daiichi Elementary School. Remember, we were introducing Halloween, hint my kitty costume <3

(I removed pictures due to privacy of the children)

I'm sharing this one because it is taken in the hallway so you can see the setup of Japanese school.

This is the girl who was also the black cat in the "I am a _____. And you?" exercise.

(see above)

The little girl in the middle is the girl that looks like my little sister but in Japanese girl form. Seriously, if my little sister morphed into a Japanese girl, she'd look just like that... I promise you.

Mameshiba Trivia #2

"I am a cat. And you?"

2009-10-20T02:52:00.003-05:00

Today, I had a crappy midterm. We won't talk about that. It is midterm week and it sucks. But that is a depressing subject...

Moving on...

Today was my first day volunteering at the Elementary School :D We taught kids about Halloween and taught some English grammar. When I got there (half way through with the second group) the kids learned to say "I am ______. And you?" They were given a card with a Halloween themed picture (ghost, pumpkin, etc) and had to find their match by asking others (we played too).

Then we played a Trick-or-Treat game. The kids were matched up, some with us students, and went to the Japanese students and the dialogue was like this:

Kid: Knock Knock. Trick-or-Treat.
Student: Who are you?
Kid: I am a ________.
*kid gets sticker*
Student: I have a question.
*show kid one of the English pictures, ie. wake up, eat breakfast, read book, etc*
Kid: __________.
*kid gets another sticker*

So I traveled with my little girl and encouraged her. It was so much fun! I cannot wait to go again.

Anyways, I'm starting something new on my blog...

I really love Mameshiba characters here. So I am going to introduce them one by one to my readers. Daily trivia...

Bye. Time to study!

Celebrity for a Day... almost

2009-10-17T07:09:00.002-05:00

Today was the fashion show in Umeda. The plan was to meet at 8 AM at "Phil's Gate" (main gate at campus) and the guys would drive us to Umeda. So I get there a bit early (thinking we should be on time, and thinking breakfast... mostly breakfast) and go to 7/11. I get to the main gate just a couple minutes before 8 and no one is there. In fact after 8 still no one is there. Then the other 2 girls come, and right when i start SMS'ing Rae because Phil was missing, he came. Of course the guys picking us up were 30 minutes late.

So yes, the guys (who are the designers) pick us up and we ride an hour to Umeda... me recognizing every song being played in the car. I'm not sure if it was a CD or MP3 player going... but it was all my favorite singers! Went from Shion to Aoyama Thelma to Dohzi-T <3

Anyways, we get there and us girls go to a girls room where everyone was getting into wardrobe, and getting their hair and make up done. We got dressed, got our make up (just eyes) and hair done. We all looked great. It was my first time wearing fake eye lashes.

So we went for pictures (which we do not get a copy of because they are professional and expensive I am guessing), finale rehearsal, lunch (which one of the guys tried to turn into something difficult because it may have been taboo I guess if one of the judges saw us in our clothes before the show, so we just wore jackets, ran to get food and ran back), redress, check, practice, then stood in an outside staircase for the show. We were 6 out of about 16 groups I think? We did awesome. We stood around then went on to the finale where we stood scrunched on stage, everyone, all groups, then waited til 5 for the award ceremony. Unfortunately, our stylists did not win :( But they did awesome <3 They are super sweet.

It was like being a celebrity today though... we were the only foreigners around (besides maybe 5 others who showed up, 4 friends of Phil LOL). Every time we went somewhere we had our pics taken. Everybody wanted our picture taken. By the end of the day I was tired of it. Celebrity is not for me...

Fashion Show Rehearsal

2009-10-13T08:10:00.003-05:00

I gotta make this one a quickie because I'm tired and still have homework to do...

I knew this week wouldn't be easy...

We are stylish Native Americans with blond hair. It seems like the Japanese guys who are the designers went out without Rae, the one and only American there, to find models and thought foreign girl = blond girl. Of course, tall and skinny for modeling. Oh and Chris is the male they needed. I'm not wearing the smurf blue tights... mine will be in tomorrow. Show is Saturday. Pretty excited. The guys who are designers are super nice. I know I will come out with one picture, I'm hoping to get more and video of the show, but not sure yet.

Anyways... this week is still jammed pack with dance practices, meetings, papers to write, midterms to study for, nights out with groups... so sleepy. I have a vocab quiz tomorrow... unfortunately these aren't words I mostly know. Composition tomorrow to do... 2 speeches next week. Volunteer next week. Yeah, and I'm wasting time here on my blog. Buh-bye.

Best Day EVER

2009-10-11T07:09:00.002-05:00

Trip to Umeda

This was suppose to be me and friends... but it ended up just me and Joey. And I'm ok with that. I wouldn't have it any other way. It was the best day ever because of him.

So we left on the bus, separating from Ash and Katie for me to get money. The plan was they go ahead to their Anime Museum show and we would meet up around lunch time. So it's just Joey and me, I get money, we go to the station, take Keihan to Kyobashi, JR to Osaka. We are using the JR Loop Line... because Joey is tired and I'm thinking Katie and Ash need time, we got on the train going the longest way(Osaka is 3 stops from Kyobashi, but we went the opposite way so it was like 10-11-12 stops??). It's a loop line, it's all the same. Still 160 yen. I get a text on this ride they they will be there for a few hours and will most likely meet up for the Umeda Sky Building at sunset.

So it's just Joey and I. We walked around some expensive malls (you know a department store is expensive when there is not one but TWO elevator attendants in one elevator LOL). We went to HEP 5 which is a pretty awesome mall, has the not so awesome Joypolis (compared to Tokyo) but we did get to play in the UFO Catchers WHERE I WON MY BUNNY :D IN.ONE.SHOT! I got so cocky i kept trying for more things and lost prolly 1000 yen. Joey, please stop me next time... I know you were trying... but try harder next time LOL. We went to this one game center that had little critters walking around! Like I guess they run off batteries and they hobble and walk around... it was so cute, I wanted one LOL.

Joey ate lunch around the time we got there. About 2-3 hours later of walking, I saw my Sukiya... I've been wanting and looking for one for awhile. And I saw it and gasped, pointed, grabbed Joey's arm and ran like it might disappear if I didn't get there fast enough... I scared him. He thought something was wrong. I got there, got my gyudon, and was a happy girl. We walked around more, went to Yodobashi camera. Then met back with Ash and Katie to go to the Umeda Sky Building for sunset viewing.

We meet at the North Central exit and walk for about 20 minutes to the building. When we get to the intersection crossing in front of the building... Joey and I notice the underground path that basically cuts our walk time in 2/3 LOL. We didn't see it on the otherside. Well we got our exercise right???

Here is the sky building

Me and the view AND MY BUNNY :D All that is missing is Joey.

3 of the 4 favorite people here. Yet again... Joey is missing. One day, Joey, I'll get you HAHA.

Beautiful sunset. I was freezing up there. I didn't have a jacket and of course it's cool here at night now. I was being held by Joey most of the time. He tried so hard to keep me warm up there. It was worth freezing for though. Watching the sunset up there was beautiful. Beautiful ending to a beautiful day. Joey didn't do anything special, but he was the one friend that stuck by me, and I appreciate that. Best friend ever. And so many good things happened and I'm going to pretend it was because he was there. I won my bunny, found a Sukiya, saw a beautiful sunset, survived cold winds without a jacket...

My feet hurt now, I'm tired, and I am on dorm arrest tomorrow. Must get work done.

A Walk to Remember

2009-10-09T20:27:00.003-05:00

It's started at 11:30 pm when I asked Joey if he wanted to go for a walk. I didn't think we'd be gone too long. So we start walking on the main road in front of the library. We think in about 20 minutes we are going to end up in Makino and we can find a 24 hour restaurant. You think after 30 minutes we would have realized we are not headed toward Makino. And after an hour and 15 minutes or so we realize we are in Kuzuha. Well, we missed Makino by a long shot. There's seriously nothing to do at 1 am, so we head back, just about forgot the way. But we made it back around 2:15ish. My feet are still pounding.

But it was a nice walk.

It's Raining MELONS :D

2009-10-08T06:55:00.002-05:00

So last night around 7:00 pm we went under a storm warning because Typhoon Melon (aka Melor... I can't read obviously. Melon is so much cooler) was coming toward us. Well, at that time we were already getting rain and wind. It was a weeny typhoon in my opinion. Rain and Wind... I slept like a baby last night. It's strange when I go to bed before my room mate. I think that is the second time I've done it. Morning classes were canceled, classes began from 1:00.

This week was meh meh... so much rain. I'm glad the sun was out today. I went to dance practice (slowly getting better... I am using muscles I didn't know I had) and to the meeting. Forked over 1000 yen for my shirt. Meeting was ok, just started to make posters. I'll state here how much I do not like fake people. It's very annoying.

This weekend is a three day weekend :D YAY! No plans except going to Umeda on Monday.

All I wanted was a band-aid...

2009-10-05T09:06:00.002-05:00

Today was just one of those days... by the end of the day, I wasn't in a good mood. But I kept smiling because I refuse to lose to this stupid day.

So I made breakfast and semi-burned my toast (1). Got ready for school and tripped (2) out of my slippers. Walked to school not realizing while adjust my black flats, I pulled down my sock and I got a sore from walking (3). Damage was done once I noticed. So I go to the clinic with Katie after lunch to get a band-aid but the nurse insists on doctoring it up and requesting I come back tomorrow for a follow up. I leave mumbling "All I wanted was band-aid...".

I walk to town to get my alien registration card and stumble a few times (4, 5, 6). Go back to school by bus, my attitude getting worse, but trying to smile. Seriously, after the 4th incident, I just know there is more to come... I go to the bathroom and bump my head on the door (7) then go to my meeting and there are so many foreigners (the one problem I have against KGU is the amount of exchange students) and the meeting is so unorganized I just leave... I can't take it. I decide to email them my info and see how it goes from there.

I walk back to the dorm and it's super windy and I get dirt in my eye (8) and start tearing up. Stub my toe in the dorm (9). Get splashed by my hot oil (10) while cooking (not burned or anything but enough to make me jump).

Yep... one of those days... where is the hugs???

Bad Day - 10, Amber - 5 (some good things did happen)

Bad Day may have won the battle, but I'm still smiling, so I won the war :D

Kiyomizudera

2009-09-29T09:20:00.003-05:00

Sunday was my trip to Kiyomizudera Temple/Shrine with the INFES (International Festival) Dance Booth members. Awesome place. Been wanting to go since my roomie told me about it. Mostly because it has a love shrine LOL and I wanted to cast my love worries and get some charms <3 Anyways, it's a big place on top of a stupid big hill but has a pretty view at the top.

Me and the guys that waited for me because either 1) I cannot tell time or 2) I did not understand the meeting time and they thought I was lost. There was a girl too, she's taking a pic.

Ryo and I (and the other girl is with the guy coming down)... in front of the love shrine.

Beautiful view from the top

I found a Maiko!

Anyways, this week is classes... getting into my routine. Got most of my homework for this week done and I have a quiz tomorrow and a test on Friday. Currently...

... I am drying my clothes inside because we just had a downpour.

I'm going to begin volunteering to teach English at an Elementary school. I'm very excited!
<3
Amber

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO GAIDAI!

2009-09-25T05:27:00.002-05:00

Kato Miliyah!

I was walking back to the dorm today after classes, and at the bike parking... I saw this sign. And stopped. This is so awesome. She's one of my favorites! So I get to see two my favorite singers while I'm here: Aoyama Thelma and Kato Miliyah!

Anyways, so it is the weekend! YAY! No school again. 2 days of classes, nothing much happened. Aced a Japanese quiz. Studying Keigo now. Learning new Kanji. My Psych and Communication class is still interesting. So all is good at school. I made a bento all this week (haha for the 2 days of classes we had). Thursday I had broiled chicken, steamed veggies, and fried rice. My fried rice wasn't too good. Edible... but not the best. I'm going to try to add cooking sake and some other things to try to make it better. Today I put in leftover mac&cheese and the last of my chicken nuggets and I thought I'd put some ketchup in there too. The moment I poured that ketchup out, I had a feeling something was wrong. And I was right... that ketchup... I don't think it even deserves to be called ketchup. I shoulda stuck with my collecting McDs ketchup plan HAHA. Oh well... lesson learned... Kagome ketchup is nasty... and ketchup and bento do not mix either.

Tomorrow is Saturday. No plans. I think I'm going to studying my Japanese and Kanji and go to Midori for my study break to get out of the dorm. Maybe pick up an ice cream. Sunday I'm going to Kyoto with the INFES dance group :)

Other Awesome Dates:

9/30: MiChi's CD comes out
1st week of Oct: I can pick up my Alien Registration Card
10/4: Cooking Class
10/6: Hiroki's Bday (but he already got his present... his new gf, Aki, AWWW)
10/7: YU-A's CD out
10/12: HOLIDAY NO SCHOOL
10/25: Aoyama Thelma's Concert
10/28: JAY'ED's CD out

Oh and Midterms are in there somewhere LOL. I believe I have one Monday morning, the day after my concert. Gotta study hard before the concert HAHA

Osaka Castle

2009-09-22T09:19:00.002-05:00

Well, tomorrow is the last day of Silver Week... wait??? REALLY!?! Yep... I thought today was Monday, too. Tomorrow is Wednesday and the last day of my 5 day vacation.

Saturday: I was suppose to go to the INFES party, but fell back asleep which is OK. I don't remember exactly what I did instead that day... oh well.

Sunday: I was suppose to go to Osaka with some friends but decided to go to Karaoke on my own and just stay in Hirakata. I bought 3 CDs, 2 which had bonus DVDs, for 750 yen at Book Off. It was a good day :)

Monday: I was lazy yet again. I was trying to find a place to get money when my guardian angel, Taka-san (yes, I shortened his name), took me to find an open ATM. Double riding his bicycle. I always wanted to do that :) And it went a lot of faster. So I got some grocery shopping done.

Today, I somehow fell back asleep and slept til 2 pm... waking and rushing out to meet Vanessa in Osaka. We were going to meet at Osaka Castle. The castle closed at 4:30 and because it takes me an hour at least to get there. Let me comment on the trains here in Osaka (yeah, you know this was coming).

This was the first time going on my own on the trains here. I've only ridden them once before too and that was with Kanako. All these Osaka people are always like "Amber, if you can navigate Tokyo, you can navigate Osaka, it's easier" !!!!! NO, IT'S NOT! There is like 5 different trains... the local, express, super express, limited express... and Osaka has thing not caring to have maps and English maps available for me to tote around! I navigate Tokyo good because I had a map for a long time... eventually it got embedded in my head. And the local train of course stops at all stops while the express trains... I don't even know the difference between them... if I had an English map, I probably could tell you. I guess some stop at some number of stops and the more faster the train the less stops it takes. So you have to make sure your train stops at your stop. Very complicated and confusing. Not easier than Tokyo.

But something I never saw in Tokyo... is a double decker train. In fact I stopped mid Japanese direction asking to go "OMG!" I made sure to ride in this car too. Just because.

So yes, I did manage this by myself... taking the Keihan Line to Kyobashi, changing to the JR Line (WAIT! I STILL CANNOT USE MY PASMO HERE! Osaka is SOOO weird) where I rode to Morinomiyo. I met Vanessa and her friends from Nagayo at Osaka Castle. I got there 8 minutes before it closed so I just hung around the gift shop. I've made a note to go back there later.

After resting, we decided to go to Osaka Tower. We stopped at the shrine, I gave some money, did a little prayer then bought a fortune. Mine was a so-so fortune... not sure, but I hung it on the tree anyways.

So 2 subway stops later, switching lines, 3 stops later, we arrive to the Tower. The wait to tour the tower is 50 minutes. I've made a note to go back there too. We walk around, there are 3 Pachinkos at least in this area (Osaka... you guys have a bad addiction) and finally a small arcade with some purikura which we do. Supposedly there is no Purikura in Nagoya. The best Purikura I've been to was the one in Makino... with the monkey bars <3

So after that, I headed back on my own... taking one subway line 3 stops, switching lines, going 2 stops. I get off the subway and notice... the escalator isn't moving... there is a train stopped with all the lights off O.O This isn't a power outage... I start worrying that it being a holiday maybe the trains stop running early... but at 7??? So panicking, I ran out the wrong exit... >.< So I go out exit 2 and ask a lady which direction the JR station was and walked in a heavy rain (good thing I grabbed my umbrella just in case this morning :D) by myself at dark. It was a little depressing. But I found it and everything was running so no worries.

I got by to Hirakata on my own a little early so I stopped at McDs for a fast dinner and went to Ring with Taka-san for Karaoke :) It was fun. We seem to sing the same types of songs too. I like singing with him. Ring is a bit expensive though. I kinda like my Smiley Karaoke better.

Yes, Yes, Yes :) No, No, No :(

2009-09-18T09:54:00.002-05:00

Today was my rough schedule... I have a class at 10 am and a class at 2:30... LONG BREAK! So after Spoken Jap I took my make up quizzes and then ate lunch in the CIE lounge with Ash. I stayed around there doing my makeup/catch up work for Spoken Jap while hanging around with random people. At 2:30 was my Communication class where we played an awesome game... I would love to tell you all about it but I don't want to spoil the game for anyone. But basically I volunteered to try to communicate with people who did not speak my language and had a totally different culture than mine. I was to find out as much as I could about them. I was 1 of 5 and we all basically failed but I was sight chasing one guy around who would not communicate with me HAHA. I was so determined to get him to talk to me. I soon found out why he wouldn't. It was really interesting, I'm really starting to like this class. By the way the title of this blog goes with this little experiment.

After class I came back to the dorm to start dinner: mashed potatoes, yakitori, veggies, and Ash was making wings. I was making it for Kanako, my speaking partner. I found out why I struggle so much with peeling potatoes... I can't do it with my right hand... I have to do with my left. When I tried doing it with my right, I dropped the potato in the garbage. WOOPS. That's ok we had plenty of potatoes. So I cooked, luckily Ash got out of class early and got her wings done and we were done just in time for me to meet Kanako at the bus stop and get her to the dorm.

We ate in the lounge, one person commented that she wishes she were my speaking partner... Hiroki came in and I let him have some food... Eddy came in and told him that the food wasn't for him LOL. But Katie came in and ate some too. Ash and Katie and I heard some extra helped washed the dishes (I washed some while waiting for Kanako) and I washed the tables downstairs. Kanako and I and Ash hung out in the room for awhile. When I went downstairs to clean the table I asked Aki if she wanted to go to Hirakata with us to do Purikura and she couldn't but she wanted me to ask Hiroki so I asked him if he wanted to go and he did so about 10 minutes and fast costume change later we headed to Hirakata.

We did our Purikura, saw Kanako off, and went to Tsutaya to rent a horror movie. We didn't watch it tonight because someone wants to watch it and they aren't here right now. It was a good day :) Silver week has started which means NO SCHOOL FOR 5 DAYS! But I have plenty of work to do.

I have to learn to make Curry for Hiroki's bday. I'm cooking him dinner and he wants Curry... well I like curry :D Aki is going to teach me <3 yay!

Ooooh poopie...

2009-09-17T02:59:00.002-05:00

I dub Thursdays Bento Day.

So I was going to "observe" the new Spoken class today at 11 and I had Reading/Writing at 12 and one afternoon class. So I leave here a little after 10:30 thinking if I'm a little late it's ok(I was trying to be constructive this morning and do laundry... and I forgot to do my homework and was rushing to get that done... and I woke up early and really wanted to go back to sleep...). I got there like 1 minute late. We just did some sentences, speaking with the person next to us... it's so nice. I actually understand what is going on. It's on my level now. Perfect. I left the class saying I loved it. I talked to the sensei after class to schedule make up work that I've missed while sitting in level 4.

After that class I went to Reading/Writing where we had a kanji quiz. This class is nice too... on my level. I love it. I am happy now because I know what I am doing! I'm looking forward to the end of class only because I am hungry and ready for lunch at McDs (I had no bento today) and some soft cream :D

..............I got out of my seat at the end thinking I have to eat fast because I have class at 1... and what time is it now? Well the class started at 12... so it hit me just then that I have 3 classes back to back. So I think to myself it's ok I'm not that hungry I'll go to McDs after class. So I got to my Psych class looking forward to lunch because by the time this 1 hr 20 min class is over I am hungry. This class gets out at 2... and being hungry, I forgot that McDs closes at 2. POOPIE! So for Thursdays, I must bring a bento unless I want to eat at the cafeteria... EWW. Yeah, Thursdays = Bento

So my debate: I can either spend 440 yen round trip bus far to go to Hirakata-shi and go to McDs and study there and find something to do to make the trip worth it besides eating... or I can walk toward the McDs near Midori, go to Midori and price the Denshi Jishos (electronic dictionaries) and I can even stop at the 99 store and get my water bottles. I decide for the walking. If I'm going to eat bad, I should do something healthy. So I walk... it's about a 20-25 minute walk. I wonder if when I get back home I'm going to walk to McDs... I bet the closest one takes that long at the most to walk to. But it's dangerous LOL. I'll revert back to my laziness when I'm in America for sure.

So I go to McDs and eat my 450 yen lunch (Shaka Shaka Chicken, Medium fries, Soft Cream) then head back toward Midori. I was told the sale ended. But maybe for some items it has, but my Denshi Jishos were still on sale :D So I find a good one snap a pic with my camera and leave. I decide against stopping at the 99 store because my case with my school stuff is heavy enough. So I just head back... about another 20 minute walk. These walks are nice when I have someone to talk to or my mp3 player <3

So I'm pretty happy with my classes... and silver week is coming up :D 5 day weekend!

Today was a Bento Day

2009-09-16T04:18:00.002-05:00

So I woke up this morning determined to talk to my sensei about moving down to Japanese 3. I've already decided I want to move down. I haven't finished Genki II so it only seems like a good idea. So after breakfast I get ready and go thinking she might be there early (like by 10:30) since class starts at 11 but she's not. So I wait til she gets there which is like 10 minutes before class starts so I don't have long to talk to her. I tell her I want to move down, explain the situation, and she tells me I should observe the class because it may be too easy. It's not too easy, I know this already. I try to explain it and she tells me she will handle it this afternoon.

So I go to the computer lab. Why should I go to the class if I'm leaving? I sit down there buying time until my new Reading/Writing class starts. I actually didn't want to go because I didn't even have my materials but I went anyways. There's a quiz tomorrow. Good thing I've only studied this lesson's kanji. But i need to review.

After the class I met with Shohei. Well, while waiting for him I bought a soft cream (MMMM) from Makudo (McDs). So Shohei met me with my soft cream melting all over me and I'm trying to eat it as fast as possible. He was nice enough to give me some tissues. We met with his friend and ate lunch. WITH MY BENTO! Yes, I made a bento... in fact a JAPANESE BENTO! I put my leftovers from last night in there and took it to school and heated it up and actually ate lunch today without spending money on nasty food! YAY! I think I can keep this up... make a big dinner and save the leftovers for lunch somedays. Can't do it everyday. I'm going to attempt to plan what dinners I make during the week (not like daily just what I will cook during the week). It'll make budgeting and grocery shopping easier.

After my afternoon class, I got a note in my box from Abo-sensei about me moving down... she still wants me to observe (GRR). So I sat with Joel and his Japanese friends. Thought I'd be sociable. Shohei was coming to meet me too. At one point one of the Japanese guys asked me if I'd see Ponyo... I didn't hear him correctly the first time he asked... if you think you will know what I thought he asked. I was just like "WHAT?" like why would he ask me that... then Joel told me he said Ponyo HAHA.

I still laugh thinking about how many people I know in the US were wanting to see it in theaters... and here I can buy the DVD HAHA.

POLAR BEAR!!!!.........wait~

2009-09-15T04:09:00.002-05:00

So it is Tuesday... and I haven't updated since Saturday.

Sunday, I didn't do much. Ash and I went walking around the other side of town stopping at Midori, and various other stores and lunch before heading back for study time. I feel like I didn't study that much. I had the review/replacement test for Reading/Writing Monday. I'm not sure how good/bad I did but as of today I had not heard anything. So I went to see my professor today and asked to be put into Level 3 for Reading/Writing which he has agreed to and would notify me by tomorrow morning about what section. SO NO CLASS AT 9 AM FOR ME TOMORROW :D WOOT WOOT! I think I can get through 4. I'm going to get into a routine for studying which will include studying the rest of Genki II grammar that I have not gotten to. That I can handle to tolerate Spoken 4. But I cannot, CANNOT, learn the kanji I have skipped that fast to stay in R/W 4. It's not going to work. So level 3 starts at Genki II L17 and carries through to the end which is perfect. I'm honestly still considering going to Spoken 3 though... but I don't think I'll benefit from it as much as Spoken 4. I was to talk to both my sensei at UWF and my sensei here... unfortunately if I want to speak to my sensei at KGU, I have to do it Japanese, or at least I'm expected to and I don't feel like it LOL

Anyways, Monday was just Japanese classes and then Ash and I went to Hirakata to get her alien registration done and 2 hours of karaoke and a little bit of shopping where I have held myself back from buying Beni's new CD until next month. I'm going to have a good collection by the time I get home. I cooked YAKITORI for dinner: chicken, onions, and carrots with rice. Tonight I'm doing it again except with gyuniku instead and adding potatoes... so yakiniku :D

Today was Spoken Jap and Cross Cultural Relationships. I love that class. It's awesome. I met with Takuma for a bit before going with Diego into town to help buy a shinkansen ticket to Tokyo. He's going during Silver Week... which is our long weekend coming up. I was going but all my friends are busy there so... changed my mind. And I cannot budget myself LOL. Heading back, I saw this dog... that I coulda swore was a polar bear... but hello, there are no polar bears in Japan, not walking on the roads anyhow... or on a leash... it was a big huge fluffy white dog. The owner musta heard my exclamations about it and he stopped around the corner and I got to pet the dog and even asked if I could take a picture and he let me!

Kumajyanaiyo~ Not a bear...

Sports Festival!

2009-09-12T05:27:00.002-05:00

Well, I really really wanted to join the festival but as I might have said I was somewhere else when the signing up and meetings were happening. I received email telling me to come and maybe there will be cancellations and I can join. Well, I woke up at 8:30ish (I think the festival started at 9?), got on facebook, and was reading from other KG student's FB statuses that it was raining... I was too lazy to check so I just took their word for it until Ash woke up and told her I think it's raining. She checked... looked like it HAD been raining but not anymore. Our plans for the day were to go to the school, let her get money, and go shopping around.

Of course, plans change.

We walk to the school around lunch time, she gets money, we eat McDs (I hate whoever put that on campus), and headed to CIE for a moment. Inside and out Gaidai students are recruiting for the Sport Festival. Outside, I told them no, I was going out with my roomie and I had no clothes for playing sports. Inside I realized that because of the weather, it was moved inside to play games. I was still going to go off with Ash until, I think his name is Hiro, comes and tries his hardest to get us to participate. Ash didn't want to... but I decided to go for it. I get put on the pink team.

We play inside games: the chopstick game (relay race, run to a table, pick up a candy with chop sticks, and put it in the box), the balloon popping game (relay race, run to the chair, blow up your balloon, sit on it and pop it, and run back), the gesture game (charades), the whisper game (like telephone), and the chopstick game again to break a tie between our team and the white team. There were 4 teams total. Pink team got 3rd place. I somehow ended up with our certificate. Oh well, memories.

GO PINK TEAM :D

I was making plans to go to Karaoke with some of my teammates but they invited so many people so "OH DARN I REMEMBER" we have a Takoyaki (fried octopus balls) party at the dorm tonight... no, we really do, I just don't like takoyaki lol. So I tell them we will have to go another day. So I head back. In the rain. A good rain too. I don't sit long before deciding to go to the store to buy oil, salt, pepper, etc for cooking tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet). Going downstairs, I stop in the lounge to talk to Aki and.... and.... THAT OTHER GIRL! ;_; no I forgot her name. Anyways I ask about sauce to cook yakitori with and get the name before heading out.

*sigh* Another 2000 yen shopping trip. I FOUND MY AWESOME PIZZA THOUGH that I ate at Manami's house. So I bought 2 of those, butter, salt (which is not by the pepper), pepper, potatoes, oil, and................... oh the sauce of course. And I headed back and began cooking my tonkatsu. And Yuji taught me how to make rice using the rice cooker. I made enough to last me a few days. Cleaning the rice cooker is not fun. And I celebrate my success by cooking another meal telling Yuji "I can get married one day" and he tells me, as always "no, more" (I need to cook more food) haha.

Me cooking

Yuji making takoyaki

AND I COOKED AGAIN :D

2009-09-11T06:54:00.002-05:00

Today was a pretty busy day. I'm glad the weekend is here...

I didn't have class til 12 so I got to laze around the room all by my lonesome. I ate my leftover mac and cheeze (tasted good actually... I usually don't like leftover mac and cheeze). I think around 10:45ish I headed to school that way I would sit and study. Today was the Japanese replacement test to make sure we were put in the right levels... sometimes I joke they are moving back to Japanese 1. But yeah, if anything Japanese 3... but I dunno. I think I did pretty good on the translating but not good at listening. I'm just bad at listening to those CDs or anything. It's one thing talking to a friend... but those CD... I've been through this before.

Anyways afterward I sat around with Vince and his friends, eventually getting tempted by McDs and going to get some (despite eating already). So I get some, eat, hang around using my computer. I didn't take my little brief case today... carried my books and took my laptop instead since I had a long day on campus. At 2:30 I had my Communications class. I think I will learn to like it. It will be important none the less.

After class and getting a copy of the reading because I was too lazy to buy the reading packet and now they are out, I went to the lounge and sat around with Jess and Diego before trying to find the clubs I want to join. Both the circle (that is just a fun circle) and karate club supposedly had meetings today but I never found them. Maybe they haven't started up yet. I sent an email to both parties. So I sat around until 6 pm when the Osaka trip meeting was. nothing much said just basically what we were doing.

Afterward, Ash and I went grocery shopping. By golly, I'm gonna cook something! SO bought meat, veggies, rice, and........yaeh that was about it. And cooking stuff (flour). AND I found precooked hamburger steak... just zap it in the microwave and it was done. So upon returning, I decided to make a hamburger steak (came in packs of four) and some mashed potatoes... I've never made mashed potatoes before but I've seen my mommy do it (before she began cheating and started buy bags of precut potatoes :p ) and it doesn't look that hard. Given, I did email her for directions.

TADA! Does that not look OISHII (delicious)? Shoulda done some sort of veggie. Oh well. Once I get cooking well, I'm going to plan my weekly dinners so I don't have to go out so much. That can also help me plan what to make so there can be left overs to make a bento if I need to the next day.

So I can currently cook:
1- Mac and Cheese (until I run out)
2- Hamburger steak
3- Mashed Potatoes
4- Tonkatsu

I want to learn to cook:
1- Yakiniku (cook chicken and beef)
2- Gyudon
3- sukiyaki
4- karaage
5- anything else good

Anyways Ash and I went down for kitchen duty and there was no one in there. So I start thinking we are off the hook when in the stairwell we see Aki and ask her and she says there is a party a lot of people went to (I'm not a big party-er) and if we want to clean it can only be the 3 of us so we did. I don't want to live in a pig sty, I don't mind cleaning.

Would you like GRAVITY with your rice? YES PLEASE!

2009-09-08T06:03:00.002-05:00

So today was MY first day of classes since I had no reason to go to my class the other day. Technically I'm still in it. I haven't gotten my copy of the drop/add form saying I'm officially out and in my other class. I had Spoken Japanese 4 this morning. Just basic orientation, 50 minute class, what we will be covering. We only speak Japanese in the class. The teacher only speaks Japanese in class. Luckily I understand it. My problem is that I have trouble retaining what I hear in Japanese compared to me hearing it in English (I can recall it better)... but then again maybe I was just tired so I had trouble paying attention HAHA. I think I'm ok in this level but we'll see. We have a quiz Thursday and the review test on Friday... which if we make a low score on we may be asked to move down. I think I'll be ok though. Except for vocabulary, the 10 minute reading homework was understandable to me.

The second class of the day was Cross-Cultural Relationships. This class will be fun. The teacher is an actual clinical psychologist. But he seems like he is a good teacher. I think this will be a good class for me.

After classes I went to the LL (Language Lab for those who forgot) to listen to my reading and I ended up just email the files to myself to listen at the dorm (note to self, get my jump drive!). After sitting in there for 15 minutes I proceeded, I think the long way, to the 99 store (called kyukyu store) where everything is 104 yen with tax (so like a dollar store). They have my big water bottles I keep in the fridge for 104 yen (compared to 178 yen at family mart LOL). I also picked up some more food and snacks.

While walking to the bus stop (the bag was heavy so I thought that was plenty excuse to ride the bus back) I realized my foot was sore. I know I have like blisters from friction walking in my brown flats so I thought it was those... I look down and I have like this blister, liquid filled, bulging on the side of my foot. Looks like a second ankle bone! And it hurts. So I decide I'll return to the dorm and pop it. I'm not sure if this was a good idea... but it was painful and scary looking so I thought... why not?

Well... lets just say it became even more painful to walk afterward. So I try some first aid, use some neosporin, put on a hello kitty bandaid, and put some gauze on it too... THEN SHOHEI CALLS! Hey I haven't seen him since I got here... he's at KGU so I decide to meet him and go out to eat dinner. So I limp to the bus stop... the next bus isn't for 10 minutes. I could walk to KGU in that time. So i do... limp... and I dunno if the hello kitty bandaids suck, or if bandaids don't belong on that part of the foot... or maybe my first aid skills... or maybe it was the the heat and humidity... but both the gauze and bandaid were falling off (hence my limping). So, he better consider himself special... I went all the way back up there for him.

So we meet up, I try going to CIE for another bandaid but they said the clinic has them and so Shohei and I went there and it was closed... BUT I REMEMBERED! I put two bandaids in my purse that day I wore the shoes. So I pile those on so I have 3 bandaids... that eventually fall off. Shohei and I take the bus Hirakata where our first stop is the pharmacy to get better bandaids... which we get, bigger and stickier. So this one is working ^.^ Then we go off to eat. That boy can eat let me tell ya! He ate part of my meal and his meal and got two extra helpings of rice.

SO SPEAKING OF RICE! On his second bowl of rice, he poured an egg in with it. He asked me what we do in America because we don't put egg in our rice... I tell him we usually put gravy on our rice. Gravy? What's that in Japanese? Well my pocket dictionary was no help for that... was not help for a lot. So I ask him if he knows what gravy is... he thinks I said gravity! So I'm like "well yeah we have gravity on our rice too! it would be hard to eat if it was floating!" So that is our joke... rice with gravity. We seem to have a lot in common. I'm going to meet up with him and his friends next week. Tanoshimini~~~

Success! I have COOKED FOOD!

2009-09-07T02:41:00.005-05:00

This morning after lazy-ing around, I finally decided to get up, get dressed, and go to school to take care of my class changes. I didn't know what was full. Upon arriving I saw just about everything that I could use is full. I tried to talk my way into a full class, didn't work too well, that option is there, but for now I have switched out of Labor, Culture and HRM (which was today) and into Intercultural Communication in Japan. No long day on Thursday now <3 Hopefully this is permanent and works out. Drop/Add here is a pain because you have to get this form from CIE and get the signatures from both the professor of the class you are adding and the class you are dropping. So much easier at UWF. Online.

So my new schedule looks like this:

MONDAY
10:00 - 10:50 Spoken Japanese 4
12:00 - 12:50 Reading/Writing Japanese 4

TUESDAY
10:00 - 10:50 Spoken Japanese 4
1:00 - 2:20 Cross Cultural Relationships

WEDNESDAY
9:00 - 9:50 Reading/Writing Japanese 4
11:00 - 11:50 Spoken Japanese 4
2:30 - 3:50 Intercultural Communication

THURSDAY
10:00 - 10:50 Spoken Japanese 4
12:00 - 12:50 Reading/Writing Japanese 4
1:00 - 2:20 Cross Cultural Relationships

FRIDAY
12:00 - 12:50 Spoken Japanese 4
2:30 - 3:50 Intercultural Communication

Today was also the day the clubs/circles (well only a handful of them at least) were setting up to give out info and invite you to join. The only one set up that looked interesting was Aikido. I might go but it's 3000 yen/month. The information table with the book with all groups was crowded the whole time but I heard that the book lives in CIE so I'll check it out tomorrow. Where is the Ikemen club???? ^.^

So that's all I did at the school today... switch classes, hang with Ash and her speaking partner, Tori, and ate lunch. Afterward Ash and I went to the grocery store. Time to cook, but we need some food.

I bought: 6 eggs, what I think are potatoes, milk, butter (took time to find), some chicken and fries that are cooked and I'll heat up later, some ore ida fries (YAY), and pancake mix... yeah I think that is it... OH and peanut butter... extra crunchy, no creamy here I guess. I didn't see grape jelly either. Oh well. I forgot maple for my pancakes ;_; I'll have to pick it up. I need to take a Japanese shopping with me because I want to make hamburger steak. YUUUUUM. And tonkatsu. YUUUM.

Tonight's meal is macoroni and cheese since I found milk and butter. I'm counting down to cooking. I have kitchen duty with another group this week at 9 pm tonight. Blaaaah. I guess it's ok. I rather not live in a pig sty.

I'm kinda typing this as the rest of the day goes on SOOO...

I started feeling sleepy and thought I'd go to Hirakata and buy a date book from the Pookie store (Kiddy Land) and possibly my bento and what not... so Ash and I headed down there, went to Kiddy Land where I did buy what I need and Book Off were I did a good job not buying 50 yen CDs LOL. We found 500 yen on the sidewalk. I split it with Ash... I saw it, she picked it up. Free bus ride home :D

We returned and I started to cook my macoroni and cheese :D

Start with my pot to boil water

Then at the noodles.....

BOIL TIL TENDER AND MIX AND WALAAA!!! You have made Mac&Cheese in Japan.

IN FACT I sold one of my boxes for 400 yen (~4$). I could start a business with Kraft Dinners. We have figured out what the mysterious switch underneath the light switch by door does... it turns on this mysterious grate on the other side of the room... I'm not sure what it does. Anyways, almost 9 pm, almost kitchen duty time. I'll end this blog for I think nothing fun will happen unless Yuji turns up.

Karaoke, Pookies, and Purikura!

2009-09-06T06:55:00.002-05:00

So today after the house meeting the plan was for my speaking partner to come here to the dorm and I was thinking we could all go visit the shopping road together. Well plans changed because my roomie and I wanted to go to Karaoke today too. I asked Aki if there was a place nearby and she said not here but near Hirakata Station. I asked Kanako if she wanted to go, and she did, so instead we met her at the station. We ate McDs first then asked where a place was. Stupid enough, later, I found the directions and ad for the same place on the tissues I had in my purse. Well, at least we know for next time. The place was so crowded we actually had to wait 35 minutes. But we did karaoke for 1 hour, Ash's first time. It was great. I sung one of my new Crystal Kay songs :D They have a lot of Bonnie Pink songs at that place. We should do all night karaoke there, I can rock the house <3

Afterward, Kanako had to leave and it was just Ash and I. We decided to explorer because she wanted to look for a magazine and I wanted to just look around for deals. So we hit up Tsutaya and Book Off.

Book Off... under the train tracks.

Tsutaya is that way (you can see the sign)

Afterwards, I found my FAVORITE store in Osaka... KIDDY LAND!

This is like Pookie Paradise <3

I'm going to buy this bento as soon as I learn how to cook well enough for me to start taking bento school. Of course it won't be everyday, but enough where I don't have to eat school food. Too much McDs around here tempting me.

Me and my pookie bear... they have Peanuts stuff too! And Hello Kitty! And Cinnamoroll! That place is just awesome <3

So after my pookie overload, we take the bus back to the dorms. We were going to ask about the game center/purikura place in Makino (we asked in Tsutaya if there was a place near but she told us near Makino). On the way to Makino is the shopping streets I wanted to go so I thought, HEY LET'S GO! Unfortunately, it's Sunday and almost 6, so they are all closing...

Here is the bus stops at the station.

So after resting a bit at the dorm and me grabbing my map to make sure I go the right way, we head out once again... TO MAKINO! The shopping street is closed but when it is open I bet's awesome. I'll take pics next time we go back. Just nothing much to take pics of when it's all closed. Heading to Makino we learn that the supermarket over here is much closer than the other one... but it's not open 24 hours. We learn that on the way back. We walk, keep walking, and I see some fun looking buildings... CAN ONLY BE... pachinko -_- Stupid Pachinko (like gambling places). I swear for every one Pachinko place I see here, I can find 3 game centers in Tokyo. Osakans must love Pachinko.

And after crossing some railroad tracks I see more fun buildings! Yes, one is pachinko (this is pachinko 3 or 4 on this 20-25 minute walk). BUT! It is also bowling, karaoke, purikura, and game center :D I WIN! So we do purikura. We go into this fun booth with like monkey bars to hang on too... I choose 3 backgrounds and we take 3 pics... the first one is kinda obvious, the camera and screen is right in front of us so we line up... the second... I can hear a pic is about to be taken... but there is nothing on the screen... then I realize afterward that there are 3 camera, and this one was below the other and we were suppose to sit down... so we got a pic of our legs. The third was on the other wall so we move. Then we get 3 more backgrounds and I get to hang on the monkey bars :D That pic is my favorite. We hang around in the game center after decorating and printing them... i try the UFO Catcher (like claw machines back at home but this requires skill I do not have >.<) 3 times... losing 600 yen... before Ash pulls me away and we leave. Here is the place at night.

We walk back wanting to stop at the supermarket but it was closed.

So, without food, I decide when I get back, around 9 pm I was gonna eat me some ABCs and 123s. Seems like everyone is eat... Yuji and Aki are in there along with other dorm people. I felt like I've never seen half of them... ANYWAYS, I heat up my food and sit at my computer (and actually I was typing this blog). After finishing, I was separating the pieces of my container and Yuji asked what I was eating. I told him it was like spaghetti but it was shaped like ABCs and 123s (HENCE THE NAME!). He didn't quite understand so I went back up to my room and brought down the other one I have plus the ravioli one and show it to him. He says it looks good so I told him next time i eat it I'll share it with him.

He told me he was cooking rice. And it smells good. So I go and smell his rice LOL. It does. He grabs his chop sticks and tastes it. Then give me a taste. Tastes good. I told him I want him to teach me how to make Yuji Gohan ^.^ So he is going to teach me how to cook rice with a rice cooker :D I move his container of rice while he is washing his dishes (I enjoy watching a man do dishes LOL... or maybe I just enjoy watching him do dishes, I dunno). So he was surprised to see his rice gone but quickly found it. I go to the fridge and get a cookie, I offer him one... he asks why they are cold and while I keep them in the fridge... I don't really have a package for them and I don't want to leave them out in the open and also I don't want the humidity to get to them from the room, but they taste good cool from the fridge. He then begins to steal my rice crispy treats... Yuji likes my American food I guess? I give him a few.

He then goes to his fridge and mixes a drink for me that tastes like Sprite. So we share that for awhile before discussing our cleaning duties. Starting next week, me and another group led by Aki clean the kitchen everyday at 9pm. Then afterward we move to HAVE FUN, SENTO (like Sauna/Onsen), STUDY, and SLEEP! So I only have study everyday for a week once a month it seems... and I get to sleep for a week too?? Haha I just laughed at it. I'll take a pic of it one day.

So that was my day~ full of fun and laughs. Best day ever here thus far <3

"CHECK-IN!" strikes Daisuke's pose

2009-09-05T21:33:00.005-05:00

I still don't get that joke... must be Nihon Joke...

So I am now officially checked in to my dorm. I took my sheets down and got in line to check out as a temporary orientation resident to a permanent resident. I got a paper to fill out about room damage and to make sure I have everything. So I get my set of keys to my room, the side gate and door, and the kitchen cabinet. Next to my room number it has the kanji for top/above （上）　and I was wondering why... I thought because I'm on the top floor or because I got the first set of keys...

So I go to the room and fill out my paper and check over the room noting first the stained curtains in front of the sliding door. Ash is standing in line at this time to get her paperwork so I go downstairs to the kitchen and check that stuff. I go to #41, the first one I see, which is on top... stick my key in, open, check, and return. When I talk to Ash I find out why I have the top kanji... I thought the whole time her and I share the one set of dishes in that cabinet but there are two cabinets and I coincidentally opened the correct cabinet, the one on top, hence the reason I have the top/above kanji on my keys. Her's is below mine. We scope out the room marking a few other little things and go down stairs to turn it in and get our hangers and new set of linens. I hate making my bed in America... and not only do I have to make up futon but supposedly I have to put it away every morning in my closet. Putting the sheet on the futon blanket is like putting a pillow case on a giant floppy pillow. I should get a video of me doing that. It's not fun you guys... not fun.

Here are some more pics and video of the dorm!

Entrance way, view from 4th floor hallway window

The park and library I pass every morning when I leave the dorm to go various places (school, bus stop, shopping)

Me and the beautiful view of Japan in the background :D

Seminar House 2 :D In the daytime.

I realized today 2 things about the dorm... 1) we have 4 bathroom stalls and 4 set of slippers for the bathroom and this morning when I went, 1 set of slippers were left... so that means 3 out of 4 stalls were in use. The doors don't stay open so I didn't know which one was not occupied so I returned to my room and fiddled before returning, hoping it was easier to find a stall. Well, I learned (after doing my business wondering why when you don't lock the door some "OCCUPIED" word doesn't show up on the other side) that when you lock the bathroom door, the lock color (it's a small dot i never noticed before btw) goes from blue to red. OK! So that won't happened again. Also 2) we have an all call in the dorm. Yuji just used it to announce our meeting is in 10 minutes. I heard this sound and was like "is that Ash's computer? a bell somewhere outside (we keep our balcony door open, it has a screen and such so no bugs get in... i like to think at least) and then I heard Yuji's voice... great he's like God, I hear him everywhere... but yeah, it's an all call system in the dorms.

We have monthly house meetings and monthly parties :D September is a yakitori party! YUM! Here is the video... not so much a tour... just me being silly I guess. I call the elevator on the 1st floor, change my mind and take the stairs, then call the elevator on the 2nd floor... I'm so weird :D

Oh, we have to fold and put up our futons regularly BECAUSE if you leave them down all semester, the tatami mat underneath will mold. So we should fold and put them away and lay them out to dry twice a month. Well... that is fun to do. I'm sure I'll become an expert and putting away my futon by the time this trip is over. I need a chair to sit at this little table. Right now I'm sitting on my pillow.

Seminar House 2!

2009-09-05T07:07:00.003-05:00

Today, didn't do too much. Jess, one of my roomies left for homestay. Just Ash and I until the semester ends. We have room now to move our room around, futons and table. I set up earlier, looks super nice. Anyways, I laid around til about 10:30ish until Jess and I decided we'd go up to the school, eat lunch, hang around... So we left at 11:30.

We stopped at Hotto Motto for lunch... I remember eating Hotto Motto last year, I don't remember when, where, why, and what I ate, but it was the chicken. The chicken was so greasy but fries were yummy. We ate at the CIE lounge. Afterwards we checked on her cell phone (no luck) and I got some money out. It all came in big bills so I decided I'd go to Hirakata and break one for easier bus fare when needed. So I went to Tsutaya and bought Crystal Kay's Best of CD :D Pretty cheap for a Best CD maybe because there was no DVD. As much as I would like one, the price would have made me changed my mind. I've seen Best CDs go for as much as 8000 yen. I browsed and saw that some American TV drama sets such as Full House, Desperate Housewives, and House (called Dr. House here) range from 8000-10000 per season (House being the most expensive).

After browsing around Hirakata and buying some snacks and another big water bottle for the fridge to refill my bottle (I think I'm saving money... but maybe I only save money when I buy the big bottles from the 99 store... yeah, I should start going there more often) I took the bus (that was sitting at waiting for once) back to the dorms where I napped. For 3 hours. After moving furniture (we're not suppose to rearrange furniture but I don't think that applies to futons and the table in the tatami room. Oddly, we have our futons in front of the other person's closet. This is because when I moved in (I was first), there was a line of futons against the wall and I took the one near the AC (because I need to be cold to sleep and I dunno I just chose that one) and I sat my stuff on the desk right near it... but because the close on that side of the room was a bit blocked by futons, I took the closet on the other side. So, it's a bit weird. Oh well. No splitting this room in half HAHA. Here is my dorm :D

The Lobby. With the "Wel-Come" sign LOL. See the little doorway to the right? That is where I enter, you can't see but closer to me to the right is where I go and take my shoes off and put on my slippers.

Yeah I got 4 pairs of shoes in there...

Seminar House 2 RA's: Yuji (male) and Aki (female)... I'm pretty sure Yuji doesn't look like that underneath it all..

Lounge Area

Computer Room. Useful during orientation week when nobody can access internet through their own PC's/Macs. But if you have your own computer, once it is registered for internet, unless something happens, you will never set foot in this room again.

The "Dinning" room as Yuji refers to it HAHA.

The cabinet where hopefully I can start getting dishes tomorrow and start cooking. I'm so cooking Mac and cheeze :D

The fridge... I guess 6 people can share a fridge... just respect other's food. I try to, I put my water bottle in my family mart bag that way I know it's mine.

SNACKS :D Look my cookies are almost gone :(

Uh oh this pic is upside down LOL but do you see the bag? That's my big bottle of water to refill my little one

Microwaves. You can heat anything in these things. I make toast. Doesn't matter if it's wrapped in something or naked food... just pop it in here. No fires!

Cooking :D Gas stoves... i've never used one. Man, am I gonna have fun cooking ^.^

Washers and Dryers in the shower room... but I don't use the dryers. They suck

Shower

MEN NOT PERMITTED BEYOND THIS POINT~ I don't understand why we have this rule just on the 4th floor (and it's for girls on the 3rd floor that is all boys) because on the 1st floor (all boys) is the lounge and lobby and what not so girl can be there (have no choice) and all the 2nd floor (all girls) is the kitchen so boys have to be there so you can't have this rule but on the 3rd floor (all boys) and 4th (all girls) we have this no opposite gender allowed rule......... just strange.

Room 041 is mine :D

The room... the table is close to my futon because i was sitting my computer there and using it. Notice how my futon is on that side of the room... my closet is in front of Ash's futon haha

The closet

The Desk

Anyways I hung around downstairs, trying to be sociable, and met the two girls from Thailand and our two RA's. Yuji was trying to make a sign announcing tomorrow's house meeting, we will become official residents tomorrow. Yeah we are "checking out" and "checking in" tomorrow. I had a feeling Yuji would hurt himself trying to make that sign...

He misspelled "dining room" (dinning room... so now we have a pineapple? in the middle of the word) and he put the 7th when I kept telling him the 6th so we have this odd 6... I added the "@ 12:00" myself because Yuji was so confused.

Tomorrow after the meeting, I'm meeting with my speaking partner, Kanako, and she's coming here to hang out then I think we are going to try to see what this Shopping Street is on the map... has shopping in the word :D Sounds like fun.

BIKKURISHITA~

2009-09-04T08:11:00.002-05:00

So a quick brief on KGU's Japanese classes... Level 1 covers Genki I, Lessons 1-9, Level 2 covers Genki I and II, Lessons 10-17... basically the classes go pretty fast here. Level 3 finishes up Genki II. My goal this summer was to study Genki II on my own and get into level 4. Well, I never finished it because Sophia's Japanese class was too intense. I got half way though on my own. So I figured I'd get into Level 3 which seems to be equivalent to Japanese 4 at my home institution. So, pretty cool, I will skip Japanese 3. I've only taken up to 2, then a semester this summer and last summer in Japan, then just speaking to people... my knowledge is all over the place.

Anyways... I was on the phone with my dad getting ready to head out to school to check my level then head to Hirakata, when I thought I saw a flicker of light out the window (I have the corner room so not only do I have a balcony but a window :D ). I thought it was lighting but figured it was my imagination or a car or something. I got off the phone with my dad soon after and I was getting my stuff together when I heard it... BOOOOOOM *thunder rumble*. Well... I have to meet Takuma... so I remember Yuki's advice: (when you do not/cannot drive) when you hear a storm coming, leave early so you don't have to walk in the rain. I mean I have to go, I want to go, and I hate to walk in the rain... so I just hurry. Honestly, I never SEE the lightning again but I heard some rumbles of thunder.

Anyhow, I make it to school, the darkness kinda creeped me out so I asked Jun to call me so I could talk to him. So for the last bit of walk I was able to talk to him. I go look on the bulletin board for the classes... and I don't see anything new... so i turn to walk away and I see them next to the board. I look... Level 4 Spoken and Level 4 Reading/Writing. I don't know how... I really don't. I musta done really good on all the parts of the test I took HAHA. I'm not sure if I will stay in Level 4 though, I never finished Genki II. We'll just see.

So basically my schedule looks like this:

Monday:
10:00 - 10:50 > Spoken Japanese 4
12:00 - 12:50 > Reading/Writing Japanese 4
2:30 - 3:50 > Labor, Culture and Human Resource Management in Japan

Tuesday:
10:00 - 10:50 > Spoken Japanese 4
1:00 - 2:20 > The Mystery of Cross-Cultural Relationships: Social and Psychological Influences

Wednesday:
9:00 - 9:50 > Reading/Writing Japanese 4
11:00 - 11:50 > Spoken Japanese 4

Thursday:
10:00 - 10:50 > Spoken Japanese 4
12:00 - 12:50 > Reading/Writing Japanese 4
1:00 - 2:20 > The Mystery of Cross-Cultural Relationships: Social and Psychological Influences
2:30 - 3:50 > Labor, Cultural and Human Resource Management in Japan

Friday:
12:00 - 12:50 > Spoken Japanese 4

Yeah, schedules here are pretty wacky. We can't have the class at the same time everyday. I love Wednedays (all Japanese) and Fridays (1 class)... not so happy about Thursday >.< All 4 classes.......... GRRRR. Anyways, I think I mentioned before... non-language classes start Monday (so just my Labor class) and Japanese starts Tuesday. This should be interesting.

KGU Orientation Week

2009-09-04T03:12:00.002-05:00

Ok so I thought I'd actually post a few pics and talk about Kansai Gaidai University's Orientation Week.

I arrive Saturday, and Pre-Orientation activities started Monday. So as I wrote before I hung around and met my speaking partner on Sunday (for those who come to KGU, give this program a shot, it's a good program). On Monday, my schedule was to do L.L orientation, I believe I wrote about that. On Tuesday was my Japanese Proficiency Test which I also wrote about.

Wednesday started Orientation. Everyone is here, time for meetings and what not. Wednesday was the General Meeting. 30 minutes, short, I don't remember what we talked about haha. After that I paid my fees at the SHOMU office. I went to the Introduction of Faculty (non-language faculty) because I thought it would help me get to know my professors and the other professors and what they teach. In the end, this meeting made me rethink my classes (SORRY!). Right after was the Seminar House meeting which was largely about trash because separating trash is hard and we could talk all day... ie: what bin does tin foil go into? what do you wrap broken glass up with to toss away? can't be plastic.. because that belongs in the plastic bin... paper is burnable... haha, anyways. After that was a meeting for homestay, doesn't include me, and then the Health/STD meeting and Women's Safety meeting. I skipped those. Seriously, they don't take roll or anyway of knowing if everybody who should be at a meeting is there. And some of these (such as women's safety and info meeting) is probably useful for first timers here but it's not my first time... it would be a waste of my attention and I most likely know it all anyways.

Thursday was basically just the Opening Ceremony. I used the time before hand to rest, do laundry, and go do my alien registration. I take the bus to Hirakata, knowing I had a map that had directions from Hirakata Eki to the City Hall... but I can't find it. I assumed I dreamed that and use my Japanese skills to get there. I saw a map on the side of the road... but my problem with those maps is I stare at them and see the "You are Here" (in Japanese of course) and the City Bank... but can't figure out how to get there haha. I do find it eventually. I take a number and there is 17 people waiting in front of me. I ask how long it is taking per person and I am told 5 minutes, sometimes more, so I decide to get lunch. They won't miss me. So I hit up McDs and stop at Family Mart for a giant water bottle. They are like cheap so I see this as me saving money from buying a new one all the time. Just refill my little ones. I probably shoulda stocked up on the free ones from the hotel. I go to the opening ceremony speech thing. A lot of important people. DK got to make speech. She did a good job.

I skipped out on the free dinner because there is sooo many people so I sat in the computer lab and watched for a class schedules to be handed out. Today (Friday) was the General Briefing and Safety Issue Orientation. I want to say, I hate stupid people who do not read the orientation manual. I bet you 90% of the questions could have been easily answered if the people just read. Stupid people. No stupid questions, just stupid people. The General Briefing was so bad because the professor doing it could just say the main points and move on, that I lost all my attention span and ability to sit there and left... skipping out the safety issue meeting. I went with Diego and Jessi to get a cell phone. Then McDs for lunch. Then hanging around until the Kyoto trip. I did not go. Too many people, you are split into groups but I'm kinda in a mood today and I wanted to meet with Takuma and his friends tonight for dinner. So I came back to the hotel and showered so I wouldn't be a sweaty mess.

That's about it for Orientation week. Just check out of dorms tomorrow to recheck in as a permanent resident. Jess leaves for homestay and just me and Ash left. I guess Ash and I will have to locate and check out the shopping districts in the opposite direction of the school. Classes start Monday. I am taking "Labor, Culture, and HRM in Japan" and "The Mystery of Cross-Cultural Relationships: Social and Psychological" along with Spoken and R/W Japanese. I'm not sure of the level yet. I'm debating whether I should walk to the campus and check then hop on the bus to Hirakata or check on the way back (but they may be closed) or check Satuday... hmmm...

Yeah, anyways, my plans for the tonight is to meet with Takuma and his friends and eat dinner. No plans really for this weekend. My afternoon classes (non-language) start Monday, language start Tuesday. Monday after classes I'm hanging with Takuma again.

HERE ARE SOME PICS :D

My Shinkansen Ticket

Yuji, our male RA

Some curry at KGU cafeteria... why didn't I like curry last year??? Oh yeah because I smelled it and said I hate it... YUMMY CURRY :D

This is the map of the world in the CIE lounge... I don't quite understand it myself.... is that California detached for the US????

KGU, taken with my phone because I didn't have my camera charger

Engrish... classic. I found this shirt at a Japanese Ross (it's not Ross, but i could pass as one LOL... I bought my "HOT AND SPECIAL BOYS" socks there)

Wees and Woes

2009-09-01T09:28:00.002-05:00

Long Read but it spans over the past few days...

MUMBLING GAIJIN = ME
(Saturday)

So I woke up at about 8:00 I think from a text message and my phone going off. Soda Jerk and Genki emailed me. I played online, Skyped, and eventually decided to get ready and pack. I left 15 minutes early… good thing. I mean I’m sitting at Tokyo Station now 50 minutes early but if I had waited 15 more minutes than it would be 15 minutes more hotter outside. I took the walk from Erin’s place to Kasai Station by myself with all my luggage because Brad is jerk. I didn’t ask him to help me but he didn’t offer either. Jerk~

I really wanted a taxi… I guess it’s ok now that I’m here, I saved myself about 700 yen walking. It’s about a 15 minute walk normally… took me I think about 25-30 minutes. It’s funny though because the walk seemed to go by faster than usual. So I rode the Tozai train to Otemachi Station. Everyone who came across me in Otemachi thinks I’m a crazy mumbler. This is me walking to my Marunochi Transfer: “I hate this station, I hate this station, I hate this station WHERE’S THE ESCALATOR? I hate this station, I hate this station”.

I thought I was smart finding an elevator… me and my ideas. I had no clue what floor… I just assumed it was B2 because I think that was my only choice anyhow LOL. Not sure though. And I seemed to take a route I believe was different from yesterday but then again I don’t remember too much that had stairs… and no escalator. I eventually, one time, got some help taking my suitcase up some stairs… from an older lady. I thanked her graciously. I hate Otemachi Station more today than I did yesterday… only because I have a lot of luggage though.

So I take the Marunochi line to Tokyo station… one stop. Get to Tokyo station and go to the JR area. This is me in Tokyo Station : “I hate JR, I hate JR, I hate JR SUMIMASEN! I hate JR, I hate JR”. JR really is a pain though. The station was crowded, had to lug my luggage up a tiny staircase (after going up I found a ramp… stupid JR, I’m blaming JR for that). Yeah so people passing me are like “crazy gaijin talking to herself” but that’s ok.

I’m waiting for my train now in an AC’d area. The train before mine is sitting on the track. I’m sitting in front of car 11, I’m car 14. There’s suppose to be free wifi in here… but it’s all password protected. Can’t get on.

You know I really have amazed myself with how well I’ve done thus far traveling… airplanes, metros, JR, shinkansen… I’ve done pretty well finding my way. I dunno why I thought it was so hard last year but 1) my Japanese was not as good, and 2) I had people to lead me so I really didn’t have to try. I guess it’s survivor mode. You know I have a horrible sense of direction (that’s why I hate big stations like Otemachi) and can’t follow directions well. But I think I’ve done a really good job traveling alone.

Arrive in Kyoto in 3 hours.

SHINKANSEN WEEEEE!
(Still Saturday)

I mean there isn’t much to say. We only made a few stops. I managed to get on the right train, ride in the right car, and in the correct seat. My Japanese skills are awesome LOL. Or I’m just lucky. I wish I could have more types of luck besides Japanese skill. I sat my stuff down in the seat next to me hoping no one was going to sit there… accidently, I forgot about my bento that I bought. I am sure it was somewhat warm before… but after 2.5 hours on the train shinkansen, it got cold. I took a video on the train. My camera died. So I took it with my cell phone. 2.5 hours later I arrived at Kyoto Station, easily found my way to the exit with a guy holding a KANSAI GAIDAI sign and I guess being American and blonde he automatically assumed I was looking for him. I sat on a wall with some others for about 30 minutes.

My first impression of this area was not a good one… I went to the bathroom and low and behold there is NO TOILET PAPER! Something I have NEVER EVER experience in Japan. I mean, no paper towels, no big deal, BUT NO TOILET PAPER! Good thing I grab those tissues people hand out. So I was ok. But that’s when I was like “Ok, I’m ready to go back to Tokyo.” After sitting and waiting we get on a bus and drive 1 hour to Seminar House (from now will be abbreviated SH) 4 where the two people get off and we unload. It’s about a 5 minute walk to the other 3 dorms.

Everyone signs in at SH 2… which is my dorm. I think there is walkways that connect them all to SH 2 but I’m not 100% sure on that. So I get in, and slowly unpack. This day is a blur. I can’t remember what happened first. Genki, a Japanese student at the Uni, emailed me and we decided to meet up. So I asked someone downstairs how to get to the Uni. It’s really far and not really complicated… but me and my bad sense of direction in an unfamiliar area, I only walked 3 minutes before deciding I can’t do this without a map… I forgot my map…

So I try to tell Genki where I’m at and he finds the library that I stared at the whole time wondering if that’s the building that I turn at and I meet him there. He’s super nice. We walked to the Uni, he showed me around a bit and then we hopped on a bus to Hirakata City. Pet Peeve about this place… there is NOTHING near the dorms to do. In fact to go shopping just at a konbini or supermarket it’s a 30 minute walk. Yeah, I miss Tokyo. I can take the bus… but that’s 220 yen no matter how far I go. Really sucks. I may have to get a bike and some elbow pads/knee pads/helmet/bubble wrap.

Anyways… yeah… Genki and I go to Hirakata and we were going to go to his favorite little restaurant but there is some sort of party and we can’t get in so we go to Starbucks. I try to avoid Starbucks in the US because 1) expensive, 2) the dairy in my fave drink makes me sick… yeah I know that never really stops me… and 3) I don’t want to get addicted. In Japan they don’t have my favorite drink (Double Chocolate chip Frap for those who don’t know). So I tell Genki I don’t want anything, he offers to buy, but I tell him it’s ok… he still bring me back a Java Frap. Not that bad actually but too much of a coffee taste. If I really need to pull an all nighter I’ll grab one. We go to the rental store and look around. We came back to the dorm and hung out for a bit… don’t worry guys, no boys aloud on my floor (except for the RA, who is usually accompanied by the female RA, and Otoosan). Actually guests can only enter the lounge. So we sat around and then he left because he had plans. I hung around, my temporary roomie came, stuff happened, I realized before going out with Genki that I left my camera charger at Jun’s house in Yokohama.
We went to sleep, and she woke up really early… when I woke up, we were talking about how Japan is the land of the early rising sun which woke her up… I looked at the window to see if I could hang up a curtain…and saw the shade that I can pull down. Which we did the next night.

KYOTO TRIP
(Sunday)

The next morning (the same one that I ended off with) my roomie and I hung around until 10:30 or so before going off. First stop was the clothing store (for fun) then supermarket, then a konbini, then 99 yen store, then a konbini again. At this time we I have a bag with my new shirt and socks (that say HOT AND SPECIAL BOYS lol) and we have a bag full of food and a giant water bottle. We walk to the school, walk around, past the tennis courts where some guys are playing and I holler at them and they holler at me at get hit by balls because he wasn’t paying attention haha… we go to the East Gate which is closed and walk back and sit down and watch the tennis guys. Before leaving I yell at them in Japanese “Good luck” and the guy yells back “THANK YOU” in English lol. The number of students who can speak English here disgusts me. I really regret not staying at Sophia for the Fall but it woulda really messed up my graduation.

We get back and I’m SO tired, it’s so hot and so much walking… I was suppose to meet my Speak Partner, Kanako, at the school at 3… and it’s already 1. I really really didn’t want to walk back to the school so I email her and ask if she can meet me elsewhere… like the clothes store in front of the bus stop. She kindly does. We go to Kyoto together and meet her sister. It’s like 340 yen I think one way to Kyoto… I think Osaka is more expensive than Tokyo. It’s going to be a long semester of whining from me.

We meet her younger sister, and we walk around in Kyoto, looking at store, shopping around… I didn’t buy anything. Afterward we went to Karaoke for an hour. Then headed back. Kanako took me to the bus stop and explained the bus system to me. The difference between buses and trains is that the trains usually provide English info, buses, not really, even in Tokyo, which is why I avoid them. I basically know how to check the time and to get on bus 12 or 13 and to push the button after we pull away from the stop before mine. I remember the kanjis for the one before mine.

L.L. ORIENTATION
(Monday)

L.L. = Language Lab which most likely I will use heavily because of my level. Easy enough. Seems like fun. We can listen and record our voices, and save it and bring it home to do and submit homework through the LL. After that I went down to the office to deal with my insurance and turn in papers and get my other suitcase. I was in a pretty bad mood today, PMS, tired, moody… blah. I came back to the dorm via bus (because of the suitcase, not my mood) and unpacked before sleeping for a couple hours. I then began studying for Japanese while eating my secret snack stash (no dining in the rooms). Around 5:15ish my roomie got back and I invited her to go Hirakata with me for dinner but she declined… that’s fine though. I waited awhile in case the other roomie, the one I will actually be with all semester, showed up, but she didn’t so I went on alone.

I took the bus, carefully, making sure I get on the right one. I did fine. This whole trip I was texting people. The bus go to Hirakata and honestly thought I was lost. My Japanese isn’t that bad, I know the next stop was Hirakata (OH, by the way, when the bus stops at Kansai Gaidai, it says in English that the next stop is that… that’s the only English you hear LOL). I walk around and find BOOK OFF and McDs and Kentucky. Ok that works. I go to Book Off. I love Book Off. I try to find a CD or DVD (something cheap because I don’t have much money on me) to cheer me up. I look around. This store just happens to be under the railway station which I didn’t realize… but when I hear d the “RRRRR” I was thinking “OMG EARTHQUAKE”… hehe false alarm. I spend about 30 minutes looking before settling on Yuna Ito’s Endless Story Single… 105 yen. CHEAP :D

I go to McDs after that. For some reason I couldn’t get any water. That’s ok. I studied. I texted Erin when I came across Genki (this is the name of my textbook, also the name of my Japanese friend, also is how you ask someone “how are you” and you reply “fine” with the same word “Genki?” “Un, genkidayo”)… when I came across Genki acknowledging how mean Mary is to poor Takeshi-san. “Takeshi is often laughed at by Mary”… Takeshi is also felt up by an old man on the train… and rips his pants and Mary laughs at him… poor Takeshi. And he’s probably still waiting for Mary to come back to Japan after she graduates… ANYWAYS…

I came back and my roomie is a little under the weather and wearing a mask. I’m not too worried. It’s about that time for me to start feeling like crap, too. Around 8-9ish, my other roomie comes. Ash from England. Ash her nickname. The other is Jessica btw. She is homestay and is leaving this weekend. We talk… blah blah nothing much really happens.

I’ve turned into bit of a nightowl. I should sleep. Now. Gnight.

TEST OF DOOOOOOM
(Tuesday)

Another crappy feeling day. Yay for being a girl.

Today was my Japanese placement test. Before, I stopped and had my computer registered for LAN and WIFI access. For some reason I can only access some sites with IE... GRR. If this doesn't correct itself tomorrow (they kept claiming I could not access stuff til after tonight so I don't know) I guess I'll be using IE and Firefox. No need to toture myself too much with IE... it's only a few webpages I hardly access. One include my UWF email though.

Anyways, lucky people who haven't studied Japanese got to fill out one form and leave. The unlucky ones who got to take the test... well... I'm sure some of us felt pain in our booties. The Listening and Comprehensino was a pain. My listening is fine... when I'm face to face with someone. But I find those CDs or tracks or whatever are more difficult because I don't even know what the situation is before listening. I'm just listening. Kinda hard to explain... it's just easier to listen AND comprehend when I know what the situation is. After that was the writing test to test our knowledge of writing hiragana, katakana, and some sentence translations. That test made me feel smart. The last part was grammar. I zoomed past part A and B... C gave me trouble, I read through D and decided to not try it. The optional part was the kanji test for the Reading and Writing Japanese class which I will take. I got about half way on both parts before hitting hard kanjis.

I'm anxious to see my placement.

After that I walked around campus before feeling moody and returned to the dorm. I continued to be moody and eventually took a nap before heading off with Jess to help her get medicine at the medicine store and going to get her laptop registered. I checked my mailbox and found my paper saying I have a large box waiting for my pickup. I get it... YAY FOOD! and we get dinner and take the bus back.

My eyes lit up when I saw all that food. I can't wait to make Mac and Cheese :) YAY! I met up with Danielle and talked to her... she cheered me up. Hard to be cheery when I'm moody. I was thinking all day today if it was too late to transfer to Sophia for the Fall. Hopefully things work out here soon. It's just my mood I'm sure. Sucks for KGU's first impression to be bad because I'm moody.

This weeks blond moment... because I was sure I was going to hang my clothes to dry to save money, I decided on softner... thinking it is soap too when I wash clothes... yeah wrong. Blond. My pants get really rough when I wash them and hang dry them... so I had to do laundry today... and I decided I'd dry them in the dryer so I know they are dry for tomorrow... 40 minutes and they are worse than the hotel's dryer. I don't think they dried at all. They are hanging on the balcony now.

No pics right now but I'll make a big huge crash your internet picture entry soon enough.

Busy day tomorrow. I should sleep.

A Blond Story

2009-08-28T04:16:00.002-05:00

Before my story here are some pics from yesterday's shopping adventure in Ikebukuro...

The Hello Kitty store in Sunshine City. I shopped at the one at Sunshine Dori though because it has more stuff. Happy 35th Kitty-chan :D

My new purse :D I'm so proud of it...

Yeah... I wish I owned that car. It was super awesome. I want it...

Anyways so this morning after lazying around and not being able to fall back asleep, I took a shower got dressed and fiddles with my luggage to try and get rid of some bags. Which I did. Technically it's the same amount I came to Erin's with because I now have a shopping bag to carry... it's all good though. I have my computer bag that has books in it, my suitcase, my netbook bag, my purse, and my shopping bag. It'll be easy.... maybe.

So I went to Tokyo station today to buy my ticket to leave tomorrow. I leave at 12 and arrive around 2:30, pick up at 3. I have time to wander. To get to Tokyo station I have to take the Tozai line to Otemachi station and switch. Otemachi station is friggin huge. It's at the top of lists of stations I don't like... because of it's vastness. You know some of these stations here are so huge? Want to know? Because they have to have little mini malls inside them. GRR. And not only is the station huge but I have to switch lines and the Marunouchi line is like a 5+ minute walk. No, I'm serious. I have to walk through the stupid little shopping area. I really hate big stations. It's because of my poor sense of direction though. And poor sense of following directions LOL.

I got my ticket and after standing around, texting, wandering if I want to go anywhere, I decide to just head back, hit up a place for lunch and rest because I'm still tired. SO TIRED in fact that back my hated Otemachi station... I have a blond moment. So I'm walking and texting at the same time.. there's this starbucks on a corner... I turn the corner... walk... see a starbucks... turn a corner... this repeats for I stop and wander "How many Starbucks are in this station????" Well... probably one. I walked in a circle for quite some time HAHA. I followed the arrows pointing me to the Tozai line up til I was near that starbucks where for some reason I liked to turn the corner when I clearly (if following the signs) go straight. Yeah I'm a weird one... I'll blame it on lack of sleep and lack off attention to what I was doing.

Another story for laughs... Yesterday while in Ikebukuro station (I'll comment how I hate this station too... with it's 40 something exits... and giant shopping plaza... seriously, Japan, why do we have shopping at the stations? Little konbinis to buy sweets, ok, but an entire mall? I guess I'm still use to Fukuoka stations... so simple). ANYWAYS while in Ikebukuro station, Vanessa and I go to the shopping plaza to find a place where she can convert money and I can use an ATM. So we go to CitiBank. 8th Floor. She was told to go the 7th Floor for her conversion so she went while I fiddles with the ATM seeing if it would work... which it did. Then exited, didn't see her, so figured she was still downstairs so I hop on the escalator to go down. And while going down, on the up escalator next to me, she is coming up... I'm not that far from the top so I turn around and try to run up the down escalator... let me tell you... not easy... and didn't happen either. I went down and she came back down. Lesson Learned: Running on escalators going in the opposite direction is not an easy task

Sunshine City and Karaoke

2009-08-27T22:40:00.002-05:00

So after an unexpected visitor turned up at my friend's house at 1 am and staying up talking til almost 4 am, sleeping for about 5-6 hours, I woke up and met Vanessa at Kudanshita station and we went to Ikebukuro to go to Sunshine City. Getting there was easy... finding Sunshine Dori was not. Well.. it is easy but not when you go to the wrong exit (we took west when we shoulda took east). It was funny because Erin told me there are signs all over the place for Sunshine City........ but only at the easy exit I guess LOL. By the way that station had 41 or so exits. Huge station.

So after exiting at the wrong exit, shopping, eating, practicing Japanese to get directions, we do find these signs that point us up and out of the station and BOOM everything looks familiar because I came here last year. And I so see my Hello Kitty store :D WHERE I DO SHOP! Then we head down Sunshine Dori to Sunshine City and shop more. We went to this one store and there was this suuuuuper cute purse and I was like loving it... fearing the price because it was so awesome and I just knew the price wouldn't be. BUT to my surprise it was only about 2500 yen. YES! SCORE! I so bought it. I'm happy. I love it.

Kojin met up with us eventually and we walked around some more before eating McDs and going to Karaoke for an hour because we didn't know what else to do (When in Japan, do karaoke?). Vanessa and I went back to her hotel (same one I was in for the past 3 weeks) and hung for a bit before heading back to Kasai together to do Karaoke with Erin. This was preplanned and I invited Vanessa. Kojin ended up coming. So when we started at 10 it was Erin, Brad, Vanessa, and me and then Kojin came then Erin's friend... who left first... the Erin left at around 2 or 3... then it was just us 4 til 5 am. Note when we got there it was just for 2 hours... then we added an hour... then another hour... then we were like "Ok we just want free time". So we karaoke'd from 10-5. We left... it was daylight... took a taxi 4 blocks down the road... sooooo sleepy. So much fun though. Throat hurts.

Relocated

2009-08-26T10:56:00.002-05:00

So I left my homestay in Yokohama early. Long story... just a mix of things. Homestays are difficult, I'm glad I chose the dorm at Kansai Gaidai. Don't worry, though, nothing is wrong and nothing went wrong. I'm fine, just need some space. Jun asked me if I would like to stay with Manami and Kimiko for one night, and I offered up finding a different place to stay. When I contacted my friend about finding a place she told me to just crash with her.

I guess if I was the family and someone was my guest, I'd do a lot of the same things... but haha I guess I'm not use to that type of hospitality. Anyways, I'm now in Kasai (YES KASAI, not Kansai LOL) which is like 15 minute bike ride from Disney Land (according to my friend). I'm staying with my friend who is an English teacher here. She's working everyday and Friday has Japanese class so I'm pretty much on my own.

Anyways so tomorrow I'm meeting a friend from Sophia and going to Ikebukuro and then tomorrow night going to Karaoke with my new roomie friend. THANKS MUCHOS BY THE WAY, ERIN :D We are nerds LOL we LOOOOVE Karaoke ^.^

Yokohama Fun!

2009-08-23T08:29:00.002-05:00

** Yokohama Hanabi **
Aug 22

So, after a long night, I woke up at about 9:45 am. Jun said we’d wake up at 9… so I was like “Uh-oh, spaghetti-o’s” LOL. But I think I was the only one awake.. It wasn’t til like an hour later Jun surprised me LOL. He overslept too. But after some breakfast... well... brunch… at about 1 we left for Yokohama. Trains are a bit different here. I’ve come to the conclusion that they are probably a little different everywhere...

His mom drove us to the station cause it’s a bit far... and it’s a bit hot LOL. So we took the train and met his brother at a station and it seemed like Jun was teaching him how to use a Pasmo (train card)... it’s strange... I don’t quite know. LOL it’s so simple even I knew had to do it! Oh well... I’m sure there was something more behind it... then afterward we continued on to Yokohama where we shopped around. I gave in and bought a bag just for my netbook because 1) I wanted one to begin with and 2) I’m running out of bag space right now... so I may have an extra bag but at least I can unstuff some and not worry about broken baggage... like last year… oh the nightmares!

We went to this foreign snack store. Some things looked familiar... El Paso taco stuff... Pringles.. I bought a giant Hershey bar for almost 400 yen LOL. I bought a water bottle holder too. It keeps the water cool and keeps my hands free. 150 yen or so. Good deal. I decided on what I’m doing for my little sis’s xmas present. But that’s a secret :p

So after some soft cream and more shopping we returned by train, stopping at Kentucky (KFC) for dinner. I thought we were picking up dinner for everyone but it ended up just Jun and I eating it. We had some fried chicken, red hot chickens (wings, I‘d say they were mild), nuggets, and fries. We ate all but maybe one of the fried chickens LOL. His mom gave me a book after dinner... it’s a kid’s book but, hey, my skills aren’t good enough for a juvenile book! It’s actually a Japanese story… pretty pictures. I hope I can read it and understand it one day fully. It’s called “Gongitsune”.

At 7:00 was the fireworks! So we went to the rooftop (we went there last night... I don’t think I wrote about that... he said if I want to cry, scream, whatever, I can go up there. We stayed up there for about an hour talking). We climbed up the ladder to the very top… my legs were shaking going up and down… SCARY! But I did it. The fireworks were pretty! Even though I couldn’t here all the booms and claps, it was worth it having the pretty view (even though it was further away than I expected... but you go to see fireworks… and I could see… so that’s the point) and not having to put up with the thousands of people and crowded trains and sweaty yukatas (not that I don’t like wearing my yukata LOL) and painful getas (can’t say the same for them… I’ll wear my Rocket Dogs next time).

After the fireworks we stayed up there for about 30 more minutes talking... saying the world is big and we feel soooo small LOL. Talking about this one star and if certain people could see it too. Just a bunch of nothing ^.^

** Sea Paradise **
Aug 23

Today, Jun had a date with Manami, pre-planned... didn’t include me. They went to the A-Nation concert (various artists) in Tokyo... LUCKY! So, Jun was trying to plan for me and Kimiko to hang out and I stay out Manami’s place tonight but that didn’t work out. Instead, Jun’s mom, younger brother, and his girlfriend, and I went to Sea Paradise. It’s a small amusement park with an aquarium on the beach. Pretty place.

I didn’t really know where we were going to be honest. Jun told me last night that we were going to the aquarium but when we got there I thought I misunderstood because we were walking near the beach and then toward a pool and I was like “OH NO DID I MISUNDERSTAND??? I don’t have my swimsuit... how do I explain...” but it turned out ok. We just went the wrong way trying to get to Sea Paradise. PHEW!
First thing we went to the aquarium. So pretty. Lots of fishies! I saw some pookie penguins too :D And a bear!

After the aquarium we were going to see the sea mammal show but it was packed and starting soon so we decided to get lunch and go back for the next show. Which we did. After riding the roller coaster (YES! but my legs were long and they hit the bar a lot and now i have a bruise >.< BUT I HAVE PICTURE!) and doing a little shopping. The show was great. Unfortunately when we got back… it was packed again and we couldn’t sit down so we stood in the back. Cute show, but glad it ended because I can’t stand in one place for too long. I believe there is a name for that condition.. LOL

After the show we got some soft cream. They didn’t have a small size and I know my stomach with too much dairy so I decided against one but Okaasan decided to share with me. So nice. Then we did a little more shopping. Then rode the pirate ship ride. Then went back. Seems like a short trip when reading this but we were there for like 5 hours.

After some rest, Okaasan and I made some decorative soaps (with the papers on them) while eating pizza. Tasted like my favorite from CiCis ^.^

naruHODO LOL xxx

2009-08-21T05:12:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I'm going to hopefully touch on all the fun stuff that has been happening.

So I checked out of the hotel and headed to the Aoyama Itchome station with my smaller suitcase (still kinda large, it was one of my checked luggage), computer bag, and my yellow pea thing bag and purse (I ran out of room in the suitcase ^.^;; ). I took the Oeno line... you know, that line that is 5 floors downstairs... with no escalator... or maybe there was one or two... LOL but I clearly remember trying to get that suitcase down the stairs by myself. I did get some help from some nice guys, NICE guys, not so nice looking unfortunately. So I have to take the Oeno line and switch to the pink line. And when I switch, I find my platform going to Ogikubo, not realizing right then that the track is splitted, going into two different directions. I've never had this problem before, so I never have to pay attention the signs saying which train is coming and bounded for what (I did finally, this year, figure out what those signs mean!). So the first train comes and I board, look at the map, and it's NOT going to Ogikubo! So I jump right off. That was just warning for the JR station.

I board the correct train and arrive at Ogikubo, by now I've been traveling for about 45 minutes - 1 hour. I call Manami to let her know I was going to board the JR train and head that way. I'm in the station... and I have NO clue where to go now. So..... TIME TO PRACTICE MY JAPANESE :D "Sumimasen, Hachioji-shi ni ikitaindesukedo" (Excuse me, I was to go to Hachioji). And I got directions for purchasing my ticket and which platform. This is where I have to pay attention. Not ALL trains go to Hachioji. In fact, just one of the 3. Then the shinkansens bullet past as well. I go up the escalator and see a train... I have time to get on but I want to make sure I get on the right one. So I check the map and it leaves... that was the right train and I stood waiting for another 15 minutes for the next LOL. Oh well... I did get on the train but it took me 5 minutes or so to convince myself that it was the right train. Those maps are harder to understand. And they are like TVs that keep changing so I can read it fast enough... it keeps changing!!!! BUT I DID IT! BY MYSELF! VICTORY <3

I arrived in Hachioji at about noon. I remember this station. I took a video there last year. Manami is right there so we head to her house. It's cute. I guess it's more like an apartment... on the second floor, small (Japanese size)... long hall including the kitchen area, shower, bathroom, washing machine, and then through the door is the bedroom where we manage to fit 3 people (not that hard, it's a decent size room). I'll tell you later on where we managed to fit 3 people LOL (3 being me, Manami, and Kimiko).

Manami and I went to Karaoke for 3 hours after resting a bit. It was fun :) I may not be an awesome singer, but I love to sing. After stumbling over Japanese songs (I was off my game for some reason... I guess tired from exams and traveling. I went to some English songs. After that we went to her university and met Kimiko for dinner. Then went back to her house. On the way to the bus from the university, one of the (I guess) professors was walking and heard us talking (I guess I have gaijin dialect LOL) and talked to me about where I came from... in Japanese of course. My sign must be lit up (PLEASE SPEAK JAPANESE)

Let me say how much I love the traditional Japanese baths. At the hotel we had showers but at Manami's house it is a traditional bath. You bath on the outside then sit in the tub and relax. So we hang out and talk and at about midnight go to sleep.

The next day I was suppose to go to Jun's house but didn't. Stayed another night with Manami. And glad I did. It was fun. Kimiko has class and went first and then we met her at the university later for lunch then parted... and headed back to the house... where we napped :D It was a nice nap. Then Manami and I went to her work where she works with kids. OMG it was soo much fun. I got my nickname... first in Japanese (besides Hachi)... Kinpa-chan (Blond). I see where kids learn to ride unicycles too. This seemed like summer camp/after school care place to me. We played tag. I tried to teach an American hand game but they were more interested in the unicycles lol. I tried! I got on it but fell. I'm fine though... more like jumped off at the fear of falling.

So we returned. Kimiko came back. Now, in Japan, I've been to public baths but it's always been just me... last year at my homestay I guess because I'm American they give me privacy because that is what we do in America (unless you are a kid). Well I guess I'm only given once chance before we do this the Japanese way. I like to try everything once in this culture... unless it's fish when it comes to food... I draw the line there. OK SO LETS RID THE MODESTY AND HAVE A PUBLIC BATH PARTY! I bathed first so I got that privacy and then got in the tub and after 15 minutes we somehow managed all 3 of us in there... let me say this tub is about half the size of an American tub. I thought it was impossible... but we did it. It was fun though :) We're all girls.

Since studying Japanese I always wanted to make some new word, like American word, that Japanese people start saying. I always thought it'd be "okie-dokie" but I hardly ever say that.... so guess what it is?? Originally it was just "uh-oh" (I said it cutely... supposedly) and then it turned into (can you guess?????? CAN YOU??) "uh-oh, spaghetti-o's" LOL~ Seriously, Kimiko and Manami love to say that now! Maybe it'll become a new cute word little kids say haha...

I wrote that I bought the Tomodachi Collection game right?? That game is bad-booty! (keeping my blog clean lol). Best game ever. Basically I have this mansion where every Mii has room. Currently I have me, Linda, Jun, Diane (Di-Di), Manami, Kimiko, Koda Kumi (Kuu, a singer for those who don't know), Shanaka (Shan), Si Hao(Rico), Nathaniel (Na-kun), and Dionne (Dee). Jun is dating Diane (sorry, Manami... Jun is really her BF in real life). Today Manami said she like Jun (in the game!) and she told him in this pretty dress and on the beach and Jun turned her down... SAITEI (HE'S THE WORST!). Koda Kumi (singer, remember) has this funny intonation that Manami set up where it seems like she is singing everything! She's like "naruhoDOOOO... wakarimashiTAAA" XD It's soooo funny!!! I love this game. I play it all the time. Everyone plays it. Jun is right now.

Now I'm in Yokohama with Jun and his family. Nice place :) I'm here for awhile. Should be able to update more easily. Iiyo~~ Bye bye :)

PS: finally Japanese only right now. NO ONE SPEAKS ENGLISH :D

Quick Update

2009-08-20T09:26:00.002-05:00

I:m staying at Manami:s house still (and can:t type properly on a Japanese computer) and I:m good. When I have time to do a detailed blog I:ll touch on these topics:

1- traveling alone (getting on the wrong train, but not riding the wrong train)
2- awesome house
3- travel pains
4- university
5- nap
6- kids
7- ridding the modesty
8- new Japanese words

JA NE ^.^

So, here's what's up!

2009-08-17T00:16:00.002-05:00

Today was the last day of classes and tomorrow is finals... SO HAPPY :D I'm ready to get away from this hotel and be with Manami and Jun and maybe Shota... if he's not busy. So tonight is going to be a big night of studying. Mostly Japanese. We have 4 oral tests... basically what we've already done. Then about 30 minutes of a written test. History is about the same as last time.

I liked something that was said in history class today, and I hope it doesn't offend anyone. But we were talking about this one guy in history who was gay but was married and had a wife. And that kinda brought up some question marks... but the teacher told us that it seems in Japan that being gay is something you do and not who you are. You still marry and have family and go to work and being gay is just something that is on the side. Pretty interesting to me, I kinda like that view. Very different from America. Also, last week he made me laugh talking about the desks in Japan... we were talking about WWII and the bombs and how kids learned to duck and cover under desks... which is also what you do for earthquakes and any other disaster... the teacher said that he doesn't know who made those desks but he was a very good salesmen... "BUY THIS DESK AND WHEN SOMETHING BAD HAPPPENS JUST HIDE UNDER IT AND YOU'LL BE FINE!" haha

Anyways, I had a to-do list today. After class I was to go to the library, print my paper, print the take away points from lectures in history, go see if the campus is store is REALLY closed (makes me sad... I never got my hoodie ;_; ), go to the konbini and buy an envelope, and go to the post office and mail my paper to Kansai Gaidai. Yeah... they need it soon... and I kept putting it off (well technically I tried once...). Everything got done :D Well, I couldn't print all the take away points because the Sophia server went down when I was there and was too hungry and impatient to wait for it work again... I'll just have to look those two lectures up later.

So yes, I went to the AM/PM konbini and found envelopes! I had to buy like 10... good though because I messed up the address on one. And I waited for about 5 minutes. I was wondering if they were all hoping that they wouldn't get me... either way it was painless. Except the guy went to weight my envelope and came back saying "80" and I didn't know he was talking to me and it was hard to understand his engrish :p I wish people would just speak Japanese or ask if I can understand them because sometimes I have more trouble understanding people's English than their Japanese. I talked to Jun the other day on the phone and he said with me coming to house his mom is studying English! And I'm like "DAMEDESU! NIHONGO HANASHITEKUDASAI" (No, please speak Japanese!). UUSSSKK! I'm going to pretend I don't understand English.

Anyways, tomorrow after my finals I plan to return to the hotel, pack up my suitcase which will be shipped to Osaka so I don't have to tote it and try to get mostly everything else packed. I want to do my laundry too. I want to go back to Shibuya and buy Tomodachi Collection too. And I will cash the rest of my cheques. Kinda easy to do here at the hotel. The plan is I will check out Wednesday morning and head to Hachioji and meet Manami at the station there (like an 1 hour or so train ride). I will stay with Manami and her friend and we'll have a girls night (IN JAPANESE :D). After that I believe Thursday I'm going to Jun's house in Yokohama (yes he is a guy, but he's is Manami's boyfriend so no worries!). I'll be there until the 29th.

I'm not sure if I'll have internet and if I do if I'll be able to use it all the time (kinda rude in my opinion when people are letting me in their home to sit away on their internet all day. If I can get on, I'll do it once or twice for a small time. This is the time where you may have to get a hold of me via my cell phone (email and calling) because I'm not sure what will happen.

I'm very excited :) In a way I kinda regret getting a single room, it's kinda lonely at time but I have the freedom to watch what I want, listen to music all night, stay online whenever, etc etc. So being with Manami and Jun makes me happy.

ANYWAYS right now it seems like they are playing scary story shows on the my favorite channel (ch 8... I dunno why this became my favorite but I usually have my TV on that channel unless a drama is on I wanna watch on another channel). Kinda creepy stuff...

Chotto, Sumimasen!

2009-08-15T02:41:00.002-05:00

So in Japanese class we just finished studying and being tested on asking for directions. This is a handicap for me in English so it took awhile for me to catch on to this. Even in English I can't give directions... or follow them. The test was today (Saturday)...

FRIDAY:

After classes we met up in the library while people did printing/copying/etc and discussed what to do. Right now it is the Bon holiday (or something like that) where people return to their hometowns and visit the graves of their ancestors. So small stores and restaurants are closed or only open during certain times. Here at the hotel too the Fuji restaurant closes at 2 pm. So after about an hour maybe we decided to get okonomiyaki. I've heard of it but never had it before. So we go to Shinjuku to a place to eat it! At first, once finding out what it was, I didn't think I'd like it so I was just going eat later but I was hungry and decided to try it (because I'm a good sport and can't live off the same old stuff here forever).

So it starts off in this bowl...

Egg, beef, veggies, pancake batter mix at the bottom. And you mix it up! Then put it on the hot grill like a pancake!

Diane's and mine... her's the perfect looking one in the back LOL.

Kojin cooking it... he cooked ours and another group's (we were at 3 tables side by side) while the super nice waitress helped another group of us cook.

This is what it looks like when it's done. My half doesn't have the fishy things and mustard on it ^.^ I didn't like or dislike it. The texture and taste was different. I think if someone made it for me I'd eat it out of respect. But it's not my first choice for eats.

Anyways, after lunch we started walking toward some LOVE sculpture. On the way I saw a Bic Camera and decided to let the rest walk while I went in and we'd meet back there. I saw the bag I can get for netbook... now trying to decide if I REALLY need one. I still have 4 months to decide ^.^ I found a DS game I want: Tomodachi (friend) Collection. Basically you make Miis (like from the Wii) and you interact and fight with them, date them, break up, marry, feed... sounds like a fun game. I didn't get it though... not yet.

After walking around more shopping areas, about 7:30 Hayley calls and wants to meet up at Shinjuku station. FYI: Shinjuku is the most busiest train station in Japan... maybe even the whole world. Meeting people here... not a good idea. Especially a person with no phone. So we wait til about 8:15 when she doesn't show and decide to go off. Vanessa and I head back toward Aoyama, stopping in Roppongi McDs to eat (see, those Shaka Shaka chickens ARE awesome ^.^ everyone loves them!), then heading back toward the hotel by foot. While walking Hayley called from the hotel and said she was waiting at the East Gate of the subway station.......... we were waiting at the JR train station East Gate......... communication error.

Anyways, I had a test this morning... and was out til 9:30 that night. Yeah, not much time to study after that long day. BUT I did manage to ask for directions a few times "Chotto Sumimasen! Aoyama Itchome eki ni ikitaindesukedo." ^.^ That counts considering we had an oral exam. The test went well though. The final won't be fun. We have 4 oral practices and a written cumulative exam. I need to rewrite my Kabuki paper if I want to make a better score....... I have to write my other paper for history. One more day of classes (Monday) and finals on Tuesday. Wednesday I'm checking out and going to Manami's house :D I'm excited! Finally someone to hang out and speak Japanese to!

In History today we watched the original Japanese version of Godzilla. I fell asleep. I'm sure that won't be on the test LOL.

After classes I head back to the hotel to eat lunch and wanted to get some money exchanged. Couldn't do it. Forgot it was Saturday. Doesn't feel like it.... stupid classes. Then Brett and I went to Shibuya. My other history paper is going to a place and comparing it now to how it was about 40-50 years ago. Shibuya is easy... 3 stops on the Ginza line. Plus there is shopping there.

Super busy place! We went to HMV (music/movie store) and I was stopped by going down one aisle... I didn't notice they were taking pictures of some girl...... I didn't recognize her. After leaving out the back, going to some places, going back in and exiting through the front, they were outside taking more pics of her.

Anyways, other than that, nothing much going on. ^.^

I'm a Rebel ^.^

2009-08-13T02:54:00.002-05:00

This morning I arrived to class (for the record, I have been like 30 minutes early since the first day when I was late) and sat in there, I was the only one. And it was like 15 minutes til class and I was still the only one... I was starting to wonder if class was canceled and I didn't know. Usually there is a few other people in there at that time. Anyhow, once we were all in class, Tara is like "earthquake, I hear it" and I was like "what????" (I don't think there was an earthquake... at that time at least) and that is when I learned there was an earthquake right before 8 am this morning. I didn't even know. I believe I was on the train at that time (probably why I didn't know). I'm guessing this is pretty normal to have so many at a time. Nobody seems to be worried. I asked sensei about it and he says that there will be a lot of earthquakes then there will be none for like 6 months then more. There's no particular season but I guess it's normal to have a few at a time. He tried to explain plate tectonics today it was kinda funny. He's a funny teacher.

Anyways, in History we took a field trip to Yasukuni Jinja. We had like 45 minutes to walk around. I walked around a bit with Lauri then we went inside the museum, well the first floor which was free... with a Japan war plane (see pic), steam train thing, and other things and a gift shop.

The museum part cost money on the second floor. I stayed in the gift shop area for most of the time... in the AC... like majority of the class. Afterward we did a discussion outside about the controversies of the Shrine (which I spoke up and got something right :D). Then Lauri, Jessica, girl (I can't remember her name >.<) and I went to McDs for a quick bite before, after seeing Lauri off, we went headed for the Kabuki theater.

We arrive at the theater 1 hour early. Here is the theater. It's going to be torn down I think in 261 days. I think it's being renovated but I'm not sure. I hope so. It's a nice place but you can tell the age.

Anywas, 1 hour, that's a lot of time... and it's hot. So I thought we should walk around and find some shopping places (we are in Ginza, come on!) and cool off inside them. So I look around and see one place that ends up being Pachinko... yeah, no. So we keep walking and go into this one place that has a store called "Brand Off" and I'm like "OH I WONDER IF IT'S LIKE BOOK OFF!" yeah, no. So we exit that building and cross the street and go into the big Gucci store (yes, like 7-8 stories!). The moment I walked in I just thought these people are going to kick us out LOL. They didn't. We went up to the second floor where there was some clothes that I looked at and laughed at the price (about 300$ for a belt) and Jessica and girl sat on these comphy seats. The sales lady who spoke some English talked to use for awhile. She was nice. I think she thought we were funny. Especially when we got on the elevator to go downstairs... the door opened up and there was a bench, a nice comphy bench, inside (see pic of Jessica and I, looking a bit rough...). And we just freaked out it was awesome. We stood there taking pics, forgetting to push the button to go down.

After that we head back toward the theater stopping in the store that is advertising Snoopy. So we take escalators up to the 8th floor (we never found the elevator, but we didn't really look either). OMG! I want to go back... there was a BIG SNOOPY/PEANUTS store. Selling EVERYTHING PEANUTS! It was awesome. We didn't spend much time because we didn't want to be late (now, I wish we had stayed longer). I saw a place with water... SNOOPY WATER BOTTLES... and wanted to buy one but the line was long and we didn't think we had time. Well we did.

So we return to the theater and it's SOOOO crowded. And we stand outside in the head with the crowd making it hotter for like 20 minutes...... I SO HAD TIME TO BUY A SNOOPY WATER! I realized I couldn't get the English guide for Kabuki because you needed a 1000 yen deposit plus 400 yen (which I thought was all I needed...). So if I had skipped lunch that day I might have been able to afford it.... well, maybe not now that I think of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not poor, I just didn't have that much money on me today. So I couldn't get the English guide (which is ok because I was told it kinda sucked).

So inside, we are in the nosebleed section, 3rd floor, last row, I can hardly see let alone hear. Note that in the Kabuki theater there is like a path that goes through the audience so if the actors go on that, I can't see. Also, for those who don't know, Kabuki actors are ALL MEN. Even the female characters are played by men. So kinda awkward at times. I understood pieces of it, but there are still gaps so I didn't understand the details. But I got the overall picture. DESPITE THE FACT that 30 minutes into it (maybe... it may have been like 15 ^.^) I put one headphone in my ear... then maybe after about 15 minutes of that I started shutting my eyes.

Here is a pic. By the way, no cameras were aloud. I'm just on a role today with not doing what I should be doing. Not touring the shrine, taking pics, leaving early...

During intermission I pretended to think it was over and left. I was tired, I've got homework, I can't understand, can't hear, can't see.... not trying to be rude... but I think my schoolwork is more important at this point. I enjoyed what I saw though. I'm sure if I could understand, was tired, a bit stressed with school, it would have been awesome.

New Habit

2009-08-12T05:14:00.002-05:00

With the earthquakes having me a bit paranoid, my new habit is to always a part of my body moving, usually me bouncing my leg while I'm sitting LOL. I find when I sit still (or attempt) I'll move slightly unconsciously and think it's an earthquake coming on again... so I always keep something moving so I don't scare myself ^.^

ANYWAYS

I'm doing good :) Surprisingly. End of the semester is right around the corner. Japanese class is great. A lot quieter now. Know why? Mr Loud Mouth seems to be gone. He hasn't been in class for 3 days. Missed 2 quizzes and a test... I don't see the point in coming back now. I didn't realize he was staying at my hotel. I came back early one day and the ladies were cleaning my room so I sat in the lobby til they finished (took 30 minutes) and I saw him with 2 guys. Tara says he just using Sophia to be here in Japan and told me some more weird stuff that went on between her and him (they were partners in class). But if he has family here (he's been here 8 times!) then why does he need Sophia as an excuse? He seems to have lied to Tara so I don't know what all is believable when it comes to him. For all I know he has an earpiece in his ear during class. It would explain how he seems to know WHAT to say but cannot say it properly :p

History is ok. I've heard some people just taking one class. I never thought into looking in that. Especially with this being 3 weeks, the classes are difficult. Japanese is difficult enough. I should've asked about just taking Japanese. None of the other classes were really appealing. History wasn't really appealing. I already studied the history -_-

Anyways, today after class friends and I went to LaQua (I think it is the name) for lunch. Ramen.

It's an awesome place. It's like an amusement park and shopping place in one :D Awesome rides, I'd love to go back and ride some of them. After eating, Diane met up with us and we went to karaoke :D 2 hours. Half the price of last time. After that we split up and with (Eng) Shota's help returned on my own. Now to study. Kabuki tomorrow!

Earthquakes and Typhoons

2009-08-10T16:58:00.003-05:00

So I woke up this morning to something going off... I thought it was my cell phone at first and I grabbed it when I felt a familiar shaking. Another earthquake. It wasn't my phone. I'm starting to wonder now if it was the TV doing some sort of warning. I sleep with it on. I dunno though if there is time to do some sort of alert to surrounding areas when an earthquake begins. This one was about 150 miles SW of Tokyo. It was about a 3-4 here again.

A typhoon is close to us as well. We may get rain... that's it. I think we will be ok.

I should get a T-shirt that says "I LOVE NATURAL DISASTERS"

Speaking Partner!

2009-08-10T01:35:00.002-05:00

Nothing big happened in school today... got both my 2nd Japanese test and midterm for history back today. Passed both :D I coulda swore my paper was due today but it is due tomorrow and I have another one due Thursday -_- I wish we could like drop one of those grades...... I can't wait for this class to be OVER! Japanese can keep going.... but history BLAH!

After class I met Tara in the library, we were going to look over our history papers together. Nothing much to say. But while checking my email to get my paper, I noticed Kansai Gaidai had emailed my Speaking Partner information :D Basically, it's some who I can practice Japanese with and show me around and I can help with English and what not. My partner is Kanako. About my age. Super cute. I emailed her (in Japanese ^.^) and she emailed back with a pic and I sent her one back. Seems like we have a lot in common.

I kinda have a to-do list of things I wanna do before leaving. I wanna go to Ueno Zoo and the aquarium and planetarium and still wanna see Harry Potter. I wanna go to Tokyo Disney and Tokyo Sea too. ANYWAYS! Short entry.

Earthquake

2009-08-09T06:09:00.002-05:00

So I experience my first earthquake at about 7:57 pm tonight. It was about a 4.0. I felt this shaking... I thought it was like the stuff going on with the hotel because I know they are adding on. But I was like "wait, it's too late, and I've never felt shaking before" then it got stronger and I freaked out. I got under my desk and called Shota going "JISHIN! JISHIN! KOWAI!!!" (Earthquake, I'm scared) and he kept telling me it's ok.

Scared me... I called Lauri afterward. They are common here and somehow I managed to go 6 weeks without feeling one last year. I guess I handled that well for my first one. Maybe. I hate that this might scare my family though. I'M OK! Just shaken up (haha get it? Earthquake... shaken?)

Fireworks: Pics and Video

2009-08-09T05:44:00.002-05:00

I'm almost at half of my allowed pics for the month... and I only get 2 videos less than 90 seconds so I had to pic the best video.

ANYWAYS... here is some pics of us girls and a video of Japanese fireworks!

The girls: from left to right: Diane, Vanessa, Hailey, Me, and Justine.

The guys Kojin and Lawrence??? Or is this Jon???? ^.^;;; I'm not sure, SORRY >.<
Anyways, he didn't have a man's yukata so he took the robe that our hotel gives us XD

Fireworks :D

Fireworks

2009-08-08T09:19:00.003-05:00

This morning I hit up the Edo Tokyo Museum with Lauri. I have to say, I think wiki would be a better source for my paper. I don't have the attention span for museums. And at the time I didn't have the full stomach. And shopping was planned afterward. That cut my attention span in 1/2.... and probably in 1/2 again ^.^ It was kinda a cool place though. I'll get pics from Lauri. My camera was charging so I didn't have it. We went to Ueno and I got my shorts! (did I mention them? I thought it was a white lacy layered skirt, but it's actually shorts). I wanted them so bad... and I got them :D SUUUUUPER CUTE! Then we ate McDs over a discussion about the weird barcode things on everything in Asia. Lauri went to the museum to see the stuffed Hachikou. I took the Ginza line subway back to the hotel.

I did laundry, rested, started my paper, and eventually made my way to Vanessa and Hailie's room where we all got in our Yukatas in preparation for the fireworks. Diane dressed everyone. Kojin undressed himself and couldn't figure out how to redress (took an hour or 2 and a youtube video later for him to just get himself tied up where it worked). Fireworks started at 7 and we left at 6ish in our Yukatas and Getas (wooden shoes... I think ours were more plastic wooded shoes lol). We didn't go to Odaiba, at Tokyo Bay, where they were being fired (because we were kinda late...) so we went Tsukishima. I'm thinking we are going where we can see them, a place not as far or crowded as Odaiba because we'd miss them if we go that far. Well, I don't know if Odaiba was more crowded but I was SOOOOOO WRONG!

So we get off at the station and sooo many people. Like a line just to get out of the exit. And we just follow crowds and crowds of people for 15 minutes when we kinda split up for some people to go to the bathroom. I keep going with others to get close and find a spot. At one point we stop and I take a picture, turn around, and everyone is gone. WELL GOOD THING I HAVE A PREPAID CELL PHONE!!! not... the lines were so jammed with people calling and sending pics, I couldn't get through for like 10 minutes. So I figured the lines are jammed, they didn't realize I was missing, or they did but they didn't come back to find me (I didn't move.... I stayed there thinking someone would come back)... I figure the best idea is to find the station and head back. So I ask one of the nice police officers directing people where the station was that I can go back to my station and he points me in the directly. 1 minute later walking Vanessa gets through to me and after some time finally get back together. There's a video I took and you hear me say "I'm glad I came back" so that's what that means LOL.

At one point I took my shoes off and stood in the rocks. That honestly felt better for 5 minutes then I stood on my shoes... then I got back in them. There was no comfort to be found. None. Zero. Yes, we were standing. The fireworks were awesome. Every time I thought it was over, it started again. Then the finale ended... and I guess they forgot one because this last little firework went off. I got some video and pics that I'll post and get up when I feel better.

Afterward after 15 minutes of walking or so, we met up with the other people and went into the mall to try to find food. Our choices were basically get on the crowded trains or go into the mall with crowded food places. I didn't care, I just wanted to sit. My feet hurt so bad that I could have been starving to death and not realize the pain in my stomach! Even now I don't but maybe because I'm munching on chips. I haven't eaten since noon-ish.... I guess I'm ok. But man... my feet... STILL HURTS! Sitting or standing is painful LOL.

At the mall we split up again, some people ate (it was too crowded and no one had room for all 9 of us) and some of us returned. Well majority of returned. So we had to wait in line OUTSIDE the train station to get in the station, got in, waited for the train, and the train was so crowded... so I thought... then we go to the next station... even more crowded train... next station... well I didn't think we could fit more people but we did. I'll admit though it was as crowded as the train I rode in Kyoto last year but I don't think it was as stressful. Maybe because I was against the opposite door that wasn't opening or closing rather in the middle LOL. I just kept my mind on other things while walking back.

Right now I still wonder whether all this pain is worth fireworks........ but after surviving, maybe tomorrow I'll think it was worth it. Maybe. If Shota is working, I'm not going anywhere LOL. I guess that's a given, I got a lot of school work to do too. Technically just a paper, the Japanese work is optional (except for studying for a quiz) but I want to do it and possibly finish the other paper due this week in history.

I want to soak my feet.......... I don't think I can stand a shower tonight (haha because I can't STAND LOL that is funny). I'll take it in the morning... stick my little "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door... sleep in, shower, work...

Like I said I'll work on pics and videos ASAP. I'll try tomorrow if I can if not maybe Monday.

Ueno and Karaoke!

2009-08-07T18:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the second test in Japanese... after my oral test, sensei said it was perfect. I didn't understand what he said once I narrowed down my choices (we are "shopping" and I'm looking for a small white bag). I really wanted to decide not to buy because deciding to buy is easy and I wanted to try a difficult one... but because I didn't pick up what he said (I'm pretty sure it was what I was asking for, I just can't remember now) I just decided to buy it. Test was pretty easy.

We didn't get the history midterm back. Probably a good idea, I'd like to enjoy my weekend without the thought of grades on my mind. But I think I did OK on it. We spent half of class time in lecture then he put a movie in. I excused myself for the last half to return to the hotel and "take medicine because I was sick" and I wanted to go to Ueno afterward and needed to be well. That quote will be line when need be HAHA. I'm not sick though, no worries!

I met my friends back up at the school and we decided to eat then go shopping in Ueno for yukatas. I was hungry but I guess not much of an appetite. I ate like 1/4 of katsudon. I think Vanessa and I though did a good job reading the menu :D

After lunch we went to Ueno. Kojin was funny he kept counting us to make sure we were all there. Nice shopping area. There was this one store with purses... all 3150 yen (about 31.50$). All the price tags read like 20000 yen... I'm not sure if those purses really were worth over 100$ but 31.50 seemed like a good price. I didn't buy one though. I wanted to. Still do. We went to this department store to buy Yukatas for those who didn't have one yet. I was the only one that ended up buying one. I think that makes about 5 of us wearing yukatas tonight? For those who don't know, yukata is a summer kimono. It's thinner than a kimono... imagine wearing that thick heavy kimono in the summer >.< DEATH! A yukata is torture! I got the yukata witht he fake bow because it came with every thing except the baggie and fan and was the cheapest still. It's purple with a a yellow gi (sash).

After Ueno shopping we headed back. As we crossed the intersection to go to the station, I notice this little old Japanese guy talking to some foreigners (I figured the were foreigners because they kept telling him "wakarimasen" I don't understand) and eventually he left them alone and walked past me and whoever I was walking near. I figured he was trying to ask directions. I turned around and saw him talking to Justine! She told him wakarimasen as well and he followed us across the intersection. Kojin started talking to them and all of us girls are standing there not sure what is going on... THEN KOJIN GRABS HIM BY HIS SHOULDERS AND STARTS PUSHING HIM! Not hard... but like trying to get him away from us. We realize we should go down the station and wait. Justine says he was drunk. So we go down there and Kojin still doesn't come, we look up the ramp and see the old guy still trying to follow us so I decide to go tell someone. While in the midst of trying to tell a station attendant, Kojin comes back and it's all ok. He was a crazy old man =/ Wanted to have tea with Kojin too.

Anyways, we headed back, eventually it ended up just being Vanessa, Hailie, and me. We stop at the konbini and because Vanessa was going out later with everyone else, Hailie (forgive me if I misspell her name) and I decide to go to karaoke. I hang out for awhile in Vanessa and Hailie's room before freshening up and going to karaoke.

SOOOOO MUCH FUN :D Cant' wait to go again. We did it for an hour (it was after 7 and was expensive at this point). With 15 minutes left, I found the stop button. Good thing too because Hailie was trigger happy and would send the same song to sing like 3 times LOL. I did it too though... once... funny ^.^ I just saw the "stoppu" on the machine but couldn't read the rest... so I was like "should I push it????" and then try and it works. So now I know how to stop the songs. I had fun with my Japanese songs... especially "Kiseki" by GReeeeeN... it just put the words up there but no highlighting to follow it. I did a lot of "lallala nananan nenene" in the songs. I think we had fun though :) We'll have to go before 7 so we can pay like 133 yen/person (compared to 650yen/person/30 minutes!)

After karaoke we walked around and went down that one road I've been wanting to explore since I found it when trying to find a McDs (but I went to Roppongi instead). Seemed mostly residential. I don't know if that is where the McDs is that I was looking for... good thing I didn't go that way. We turned around and went back up the stairs to the main road and decided to go into that park area (I want to take pics there) but as we went around the corner there seemed to be two people trying to have some private time so we decided to not go in. We were singing Mulan songs this whole time while walking. Maybe people thought we were crazy LOL

We returned to the hotel and watch Death Note. This is when I realized for some reason my Death Note on my computer doesn't work with subtitles because of this stupid file... I'm gonna try to fix it.... but I may have to let a friend figure out if I can't =/ This is because last year my external HD broke and I had to replace everything and I haven't watched Death Note since before my old one broke. I wonder what else isn't working.

I'm going to the Edo-Tokyo Museum with Lauri this morning and then returning to get dressed for Hanabi (fireworks). There's a big show in Odaiba... it's going to be very very crowded so we are getting there a couple hours early. The show should last a couple hours. So there should be lots of awesome pics come soon :) STAY TUNED~~

Midterms

2009-08-05T04:35:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is my history midterm... I feel like classes just started last week!!!! ...wait, they did HAHA! We have a total of 16 classes and our 8th is Friday. In Japanese class we have a quiz or test everyday. I've made 100s so far!!! I got a 67/68 on my first test (the one I took yesterday). Now, Amber, what did you get 1 point off for???? 2 sentences were in the wrong tense... I had them in present, and should have been past tense... that's it. I dropped a particle on one part, but it's ok... I'm a big particle dropper after I learned how to do it, no points taken off for that. Everything else was correct. My oral exam was perfect... This means...

...my comprehension is very good, I understand virtually everything immediately.
...my pronunciation is very good, I control all consonants and vowels, stress and intonation.
...my fluency is very good, I speak words and phrases smoothly.
...my grammar is very good, I demonstrate mastery of new patterns, and control previously introduced patterns equally well. Grammatical errors are rare.
...my vocabulary is very good, I have the ability to use new items in a rage of appropriate contexts.
...my task x2 is very good, I have completed the task very well.

I'm curious on how Mr. Loud Mouth did considering he said my Oral went very fast (we all went out in the hallway one by one for it). HAHA it's because I know what to say and how to say it correctly.

I need to hit up my required places for history this weekend and write those papers and get it over with. I have another paper for Japanese due Monday about the Meiji Shrine trip. Nothing right now coming up... a weekend... 2 day weekend :D No class Saturday. I think (JP) Shota has the day off Sunday so HOPEFULLY we get to see each other. Not going anywhere today due to midterm tomorrow, not going anywhere tomorrow (maybe, I usually don't know what I'm doing til the day comes) due to Japanese test Friday (yeah, we just had one yesterday, too!).

Gotta love 3 week programs!

Meiji Jingu, Imperial Palace East Gardens

2009-08-04T00:44:00.003-05:00

Yesterday after class was the yet another required field trip to Meiji Jingu/Meiji Shrine.

Here is the link to the photo album, but you can see the pics here as well

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38112586@N08/sets/72157621816353143/

A nice place. We went in and walked around to a lecture building where a Shinto Priest talked to us about religion in Japan... stuff I mostly already heard. He did quote Dan Brown "Angels and Demons" though so I totally give him some kudos for that :D They played some weird musical instruments. I couldn't quite see well from the back though. One had to be warmed up before being played and sounded like a harmonica (but I'm sure it didn't look like one) Another one was a flute like. There was a third I believe. After the lecture we went inside the Shrine.

Me and the Shinto Priest who talked to us.

Friends and I at the Shrine

I'm not sure if this is Sanpai... but we did see Sanpai, which is a Shinto ritual. This is the last of the pics I basically took because when we went inside we couldn't take pics. I wish we could have though because we saw En-bu performed which is a dance and it was sooooo pretty. So precise, all the movements.

After the Meiji Shrine trip, me and my friends went to eat and walked around Harajuku (Harujuku?). We did some cuuute Purikuras (which reminds me, Kojin never sent it to my phone). I was tired afterward I came back, showered and crashed for the night.

I was pretty much in and out of it all night because I slept with the TV on but too lazy to turn it off. But it was the first time my wake up call actually woke me up ^.^ We had a test in Japanese which includes a written and oral test. Oral tests are sooo scary, I've never had one before. He even records us. Of course Mr. Loud Mouth finished first, but then again I like to make sure my work is complete and use as must kanji as possible (which includes writing hiragana over it). Basically I'm trying not to make stupid mistakes. Sensei said as long as I have the write hiragana written, if my kanji is wrong, then he'll count it write and correct my kanji.

Today in History we went to the Imperial Palace but this time to the East Gardens.

This is a sign found in the train stations and on the trains. Basically at the bottom is says not to cross the white lines because it's dangerous. I understand that. What I DO NOT understand is the top that says "Do it at the beach"..... Do what???? It's strange and makes me laugh.... Best sign ever so far I've seen.

Here's pic of the entrance to the East Gardens. Nothing much to talk about there.

After the trip I went back to the school and printed powerpoints from History then came back to the hotel and rested. I couldn't find any good food on the way so I decided to head back to Roppongi to McDs. I was craving a Shaka Shaka anyways! So I walked there, stopping at the Tokyo Midtown again... I love that place. The walk didn't seem to take so long. But on the way back I decided to take the subway. Oedo line, 1 stop. I'm really curious to find out what takes longer... walking or taking the subway. The subway is fast and convenient, but not when you have to walk down 5 flights of stairs (to 5 floor basement) to get on the train then of course up so many numbers and walk 5 minutes and OH I had to wait 5 minutes for a train.......

But I did manage to use an unfamiliar station and train line and get back!! :) So that's good I guess.

One more thing... either my pants are getting bigger... or my butt is getting smaller. I'm not sure which one... but I felt like I needed a belt all day. And I coulda swore these black shorts were a bit snug...........

Pictures

2009-08-02T04:00:00.004-05:00

OK... I guess with my online photo album, I'll have to be somewhat picky about the photos. But if you have facebook, add me because I'll get all the pics up there. See my previous blog of info on my trip!

Here is the link to the photo album of the Tokyo Tour

http://www.flickr.com/photos/38112586@N08/sets/72157621919579376/

Outside the Imperial Palace. People are only allowed in twice/year like I stated in the previous entry.

It says on a sign that the reflection of the tea house behind me on the water is the most beautiful thing in this garden. I guess 300 year old trees aren't beautiful LOL

I think the 300 year old tree is looking pretty good for it's age ^.^

This is the lady that does tricks at the end of the walk. I saw the crowd and was thinking it was another dancing monkey.

Kekoa, me, and Vanessa at the Statue of Liberty, given by France. This is in Odaiba.

The group and I at the big Gundam robor statue thing.

Field Trip: Tokyo Tour

2009-08-01T18:26:00.003-05:00

I guess nothing much to talk about before the field trip... woke up, ate breakfast, freshened up, go to school...

Kekoa and I met Vanessa, Kojin, and (ENG) Shota downstairs after classes. We found that we had to meet at the North Gate for the Tour at 1:10... currently it was 12:45. So we were like "Lunch?" We have to go to the 7-11 on campus and buy food to eat on the bus. OK, awesome, 7-11 is right at the North gate... that is close... so we have to walk back to the main gate (east gate) and walk all the way around to the north gate. Walk fast. I walk fast with my chicken ka-bob thing ^.^ That was yummy. And we ride the Friendly Airport Limousine buses :D We are bus #3, blue bus, with tour guide Yuki-san! We had the best tour guide.

First stop: Imperial Palace

You can only go past the gate twice a year... this day happened to not be one of those days so we couldn't go very far. Yuki said the emperor called her that morning requesting we have lunch with him... but she kindly asked him for a raincheck because we were busy that day. (that's a joke you guys). Pretty view... but not really much to see there.

Second stop: Hama-Rikyu Gardens

Very pretty place. I love Japanese gardens... at least for the fist 10 minutes on hot humid days like this. I took lots of pics here. This place is home to the oldest pine tree in Tokyo which is 300 years old. There was also this lady performing tricks at the end. Nothing much to say about this place, just a place you have to see. I took lots of pics there.

Third stop: Odaiba

I've been here a couple times. This is where Jun and Manami was meeting me. I went with my big group of friends and new friends to Aqua City (mall) and we walk around until my phone rang... it was Jun then someone tapped me and IT WAS JUN :D So I was starting to part ways with the group and head off with Jun and Manami when they wanted to find the big Gundam robot statue thing. So Jun kindly showed them... not listening to me... I remember the tour guide pointing to where it was. We walked this huge circle and coulda got there 15 minutes sooner -_- Men... So I said goodbye to group there.

Jun, Manami, and I were going to Yokohama... I didn't know Jun was inviting me to stay his house with his family and Manami. I was soooo tired though. So either way, going or not, I had to return to the hotel, we came back here and decided to hang out and I'd just go another night. We hung out til about 9 pm then they left. I showered and fell asleep. Lights and TV still on. I think I got the most sleep last night then I have since I got here.

Today is a free day. More like laundry and homework day.

AND AKIHABARA!

2009-07-31T07:59:00.002-05:00

(I'll type this now because tomorrow's entry will be long enough without talking about this too)

So after talking to Shota (I'll refer to him as ENG Shota, JP Shota will be the one I've known for over a year) online we decided to go get my cell phone together at Akihabara. He met me at the Aoyama Itchome station near my hotel and we rode the Ginza line to Kanda and walked about 10-15 minutes to Akihabara and to the store which is similar to Bic Camera (or to a Best Buy in America but 10x bigger). There we waited in line at Softbank to get my phone.

The guy who waited on us was super nice. He got it setup fast. I even had the choice to choose my number. I was like "yeah just make it random" and I got to choose from three (I picked the first one... your telling a girl to decide! and a blond girl at that!) I also got to choose my email address for the phone. I'll get a pick possibly tomorrow because I have a field trip and I'm sure I'll take some. It's just a white thin phone. The other choice I had was a flip phone with internet but it was about 3000 yen (30$) more expensive. I didn't need that so I went with this one.

I paid almost 8000 yen for it and my card. I have unlimited mail for 30 days for 300 yen and if I have at least 300 yen credit after 30 days it automatically deduct it and start my mail up for another 30 days.

This will come in handy especially for days like tomorrow. I have class and then a field trip (Tokyo Tour, required) and then I'm going to Yokohama with Jun (Yokohama to Tokyo is like Gulf Breeze to Pensacola). Sunday I'm FREEEEEE!

Roppongi!

2009-07-31T01:39:00.004-05:00

I woke up at 5 am this morning. That's the best yet. I got my breakfast (now I know why yesterday I had to wait on eggs... there's a lot of people down there right when it starts) freshened up and went to school. It was raining a little. I did better navigating the station today! I got to school on time too! Like 15 minutes early! That's good.

I guess my Japanese teacher read my mind. Today he did some questions where anyone could answer but he did call on people so Mr. Loud Mouth couldn't answer everything. He should probably stop that too... he's not always right. I noticed too that, yes, Japanese is pretty fast spoken, but he tries to go so fast he slurs everything and I can't understand him =/ And I know it's not me, because I understand people (or pick up words) but with him, he's saying stuff and I know what he's going to say and I don't understand him. Oh well. I'll let him embarrass himself. We're down to 9 people in that class.

History... let me just say I thought this was a history of Tokyo and Edo... seems like it's history of Japan and let's just point out Tokyo more than other places. I'm not too fond of this class. That class is a long 2 hours.

So after classes I went to the computer lab, talked to Jun online for a bit, then returned to the hotel. It was about 1:30ish maybe a little after. I decided I wasn't going to sit here for the rest of the day. So I looked up the nearest McDs! I decided to go to the one in Akasaka. That and the one in Roppongi were the closest. I remember someone saying something about Roppongi... but I couldn't remember what. So I decided not to go there in case it was something bad LOL!

So I start walking. I know I'm suppose to turn at some intersection. I never find it... I think I had to go down these stairs onto the road below and go that way... but I wasn't sure. So I stood on that bridge like area looking down trying to decide... do I go down? Or head straight toward Roppongi? Well... I can't go lose if I go straight! I decide to go straight and keep going...

I remember on the map seeing a place called Tokyo Midtown. I dunno about you guys but that SOOO sounds like shopping :D I find it about 10 minutes down the way. I was right!!! SHOPPING!!! I go and look around for a bit. There I find Starbucks (#1). I leave there and keep going toward Roppongi. And I pass another Starbucks (#2). I'm still looking for this McDs. I found a TGI Fridays!

Finally I make it to Roppongi at a big intersection. I debate whether to keep going. I'm hungry and want a Shaka Shaka chicken! I'm so determined to find it! I figure I'll cross and walking for awhile. So I do... I keep going... and going... for about 5 minutes and don't see it. I feel defeated it. I decide to turn around and just stop at a konbini for lunch and find better directions and go to tomorrow. So I turn and face the road and see across the street........ MCDONALDS! Found it! And I got my Shaka Shaka chicken and fries for 350 yen :D

So I head back to the hotel... passing another Starbucks (#3), Outback Steakhouse, Starbucks (#4... or maybe #2 again, I'm not sure). I saw this big thing... it was like little balls go up in buckets the roll down this track... it was cool. I had to pull myself away from it... it was pretty entertaining to watch. I keep walking and come back to where the hotel is but I decide to walk another 200 feet to the konbini because I'm craving something sweet. I pick up a bag of kitkats. Then I cross the road and head down the residential road to the hotel. And I'm back ^.^

Amber isn't in Fukuoka anymore!

2009-07-30T05:46:00.004-05:00

So yeah I woke up early, go my breakfast, got ready for school and thought I left in enough time. Well... maybe I did. But Tokyo's train stations are so hard to navigate if you aren't use to it. When I was in Fukuoka, it was pretty easy. There was only a few different platforms. But in Tokyo... there's a lot of platforms. I know what train line to get on, but I have to look at a map to see what the train is bound for to make sure I get on the train going in the right direction. I think I need to write it down tomorrow, the train and number. That takes time. By the time I'm done reading the map I've missed 2-3 trains! I almost got on the wrong Ginza train. Like, I have this photographic memory where I'll be somewhere and think nothing looks familiar... but it takes awhile for me to realize maybe I'm in the wrong place. Like a delay there. I should fix that.

So I was a few minutes late to Japanese class. I came in quietly and sat next to Vanessa. Unlike the other late guy who comes in and starts apologizing in Japanese with his loud voice... let me say that the other times I heard him talk that day, it didn't seem as loud as that. He really came off as a show off. Vanessa and I were just trying so hard to not laugh. He just talks so loud. I just think if that class is too easy for him, he should get out. Some of us there want to learn. If he knows it all like he's coming off, then don't be in there. He's so annoying. The teacher would be doing conjugations and grammar on the board or asking us what this is in English when we were doing listening practice and he'd blurt it before I have time to think of the answer myself. Like I'm paying for this class! I want a chance to learn and it's hard with them in there. So Vanessa and actually the guy in front of us too who pair up for speaking practice had comments on Mr. Loud Mouth. Ok well it was mostly me with comments. But I find it annoying. I think he heard us... or I have bad karma.

So next class (History) I'm sitting like the 2nd or 3rd table from the back and I hear someone ask if anyone is sitting in the chair next to me and I say no, then realize it's Mr. Loud Mouth. Oh my God >.< So I sit for a minute while he's talking and realize "I should sit in the front because of my short attention span" and plus I found Kekoa up there (Kekoa is my friend from Hawaii). So if that wasn't enough, during break Kekoa and I were walking outside talking somewhat quietly and vaguely about Mr. Loud Mouth when he passes us. I don't think if he heard anything he knew we were talking about him, he could assume, but that's it. And I guess that wasn't enough... Kekoa and I get in the elevator to go back to class... and guess who runs to get in it with us??? Mr. Loud Mouth. He talks to Kekoa and I kinda ignore him. Nope, he's not even there. Did I mention Mr. Loud Mouth ended up moving to another seat a bit closer to me (a few rows back because I strategically picked a place near a lot of people)?

So a review of my classes: Japanese right now is kinda confusing. Just the method of studying. I knew all the grammar points covered, most of the vocabulary, and majority of the kanji too. We took a pre-test to see how we were and I only missed 2 because how the grammar was set up was different from what I learned. Two people ended up leaving the class. One girl because she wanted to start from scratch and I dunno about the other. I rather Mr. Loud Mouth leave. We have 3 required trips: Tour of Tokyo (this Saturday), Kabuki (like a play), and Meiji Shrine. History... I think the teacher is cool somewhat... but his teaching style isn't matching my learning style so much. We have 3 required trips for that too: 2 museums and we have to pick a picture from Tokyo way back when and go to that place and write a paper on how it has changed. I'm glad Kekoa is in that class with me.

I think it's going to be a long 3 weeks ^.^

I'm sorry for no pics. Honestly I haven't taken any since I got off the plane. I'm sure I will when I do all these trips and stuff.

Anyways, after classes Kekoa and I met with Vanessa and Kojin (I think I referred to him as Mr. Jap guy?). They ate lunch and I, not hungry, went to the computer lab to check emails. After that I just returned to the hotel. Had fun again finding my way back. This time when I got off the train I followed the south exit signs... which took me to the exits I couldn't find yesterday which happened to be the one I first used with Vanessa when we to orientation. So I came up to the street and was like "WHERE AM I NOW???" I walked on way, turned around to go the other way and saw the Post Office and Bank and turned back around realizing I was going the right way already. Not as bad as yesterday. That station is just huge though.

I took a nap at a decent time so I would have the energy to study tonight. At least if I wake up early tomorrow I can study LOL. I have a quiz in Japanese (yep, second day, and a quiz).

I think I should shop today...

2009-07-29T14:37:00.002-05:00

It's not really jet lag. My circadian rhythm is fine... I'm sleeping at night. I'm just waking up too early (Japan: Land of the Rising Sun... more like Land of the Early Rising Sun). This was caused by me waking up to early yesterday, making me tired enough to take a nap at 6 pm (woops) for 3 hours then going back to sleep at 11 pm. I was so tired though.

Today is the first day of classes. I realized I had no paper or anything so I'm gonna have to use my notebook I use to study on my own. Hopefully I can get my cell phone today and find some more places to shop. The longer I stay out, the better. I gotta fight the sleep that is bound to take over today.

"No remedy for latecomers"

2009-07-29T04:11:00.003-05:00

Japanese word of the day: mushimushi

Yes, you must say it twice. mushi = bug, mushimushi = humid. Which is what it was today! So I woke up at this morning, sun in my room, loud bugs, and was like "oh goodmorning sunshine" and looked at the time...... 4:30 am. >.< Sun rises early here. I'll shut my curtains tonight. I tried closing my eyes but never got back to sleep. Eventually I went downstairs to ask about exchanging money and found out they could do it at the front desk up to 300$. So I took that. Then I went for walk.

I walked one way down a hill and found a konbini (convenient store)about 5 minutes away. I thought "cool, found a konbini" but returning back I realized that the hill I walked down... I now gotta walk up. It's pretty steep. So I kept walking the other direction pass the hotel to the main road and turned to one direction and eventually found another konbini a little more than 5 minutes. Not knowing there was one 2 minutes away the opposite direction, I claimed it as my konbini because I didn't have to walk up that stupid hill.

I came back to the hotel and did stuff online then ate breakfast with Vanessa. I had eggs, toast, and rice (complain if you want but yes I had plain rice for breakfast). The eggs looked questionable but they were actually good. After freshening up we decided to head to the school early just in case we have problems. Too early. And we had no issues. The school is 2 trains, one stop each away (Take one station, switch lines, one stop). We look at the map when we get out of the station which says the school is the white building. Well, which one? The one with the school name of course! Ok, they shoulda said which direction to look too. We saw it eventually.

The school is awesome. It's like a mini city. So we walk to the building we meet, bored because we have an hour. There's a whole group of people sitting outside but we stay inside. They eventually slowly start coming inside and talking to us. It's a large group from Mississippi (wow, that's a long word. I forgot how to spell it up til now) majoring in Public Policy. We eventually go to our rooms to get our welcome packet with ID cards, computer access info, and just extra info on events then go to orientation. If we had known they were gonna start late, we woulda bought our books first. The orientation was just an hour (and the say while going over activities that there is "no remedy for latecomers" so if you are a latecomer don't be sick because they have no medicine HAHA) and then EVERYONE went to the book line. It moved decently fast.

In the line we met this Canadian guy who seemed kinda strange. He was going to Akihabara to get his prepaid cell phone. I thought I'd use him for a bit and figure out where he's going and if I can manage to get back. I decided against because of his strangeness and I didn't want to travel so far. So after buying books, Vanessa and I head to the station. She's planning on meeting her brother and I'm going to head to the hotel. We meet a Japanese student who is enrolled in Canada (I think he might know Mr. Strange guy maybe?) and doing Sophia... so like an exchange student exchanging in his own country LOL! We talked about Mr. Strange going to Akihabara for the cell phone and asked Mr. Jap guy if he knew where Softbank store because I wanted to get my phone. He assisted Vanessa on how to meet with her brother using the JR maybe... then together we went walking to Softbank.

He's a nice guy. We found out at Softbank that I need this card which I'm guessing is my Alien Registration card. I'm getting that in Osaka >.< So we walking to au phone store and was told the same thing. He said he can use his information to register the phone and then I can use it. That was nice of him. We're going to use Softbank though. Unfortunately he had to return home so we couldn't do it today. So hopefully tomorrow...

After that, we departed at the computer lab at school and I sat there thinking "I wonder if I sit here long enough if one of my friends will want to hang out and pick me up so I don't have to go back to the hotel alone". Yeah right. So I eventually gave in and left. I had no trouble with the trains! I did have trouble with finding my exit. There's basically 4- North, East, South, and West- and by process of elimination I knew it was North or South. For some reason I exit north... I should go south. I walked awhile before realizing this then went back down to the station and looked at the map. I took a south exit and walked, having a bit of trouble. I didn't recognize anything UNTIL I saw the post office. I recognized that. I stood there deciding what to do- cross or turn. The I recognize the bank where Shota pulled off so Jun and I can see if the bank was still open after 5 (NOT). So I turned and past one konbini, then another, then recognized the store across from the corner with "naka" on the sign. BINGO.

I was hungry so I hit up a konbini for french fries and continued to the hotel. My feet hurt. I think that was the most walking I've done since Disney World.

Class tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday. I have my Tokyo Tour Saturday also. They said these trips if required will have some sort of assignment. This is required for Japanese... I'm guessing the assignment is dump us on the other side of Tokyo Bay and see if we can get back on our own. Yes, they are doing that. The tour ends at Odaiba where me and my friends went to Joypolis. So luckily I know that area. But I was suppose to hang out with them again after class. I think we are all just gonna meet there so we can see the fireworks.

There is a Noh play tonight. I decided against it. I'm sleepy.

Maybe I'll Look Back at this and Laugh One Day

2009-07-28T03:59:00.002-05:00

Flight #1: Balance vs. Layover

So much for not sleeping much that night but it’s probably a blessing in disguise… I would need the energy later. I arrive at the airport at 4:45ish AM to check in. No line. No wait. I was concerned about getting one boarding pass… I coulda swore last year I had one per flight and after talking to my friend flying the same day (he was already through security) he had one per flight… but was flying Delta. I went through security at approximately 5:35ish AM. My gate was all the way at the end which required walking out to the plane. Kinda cool.

Somehow boarding the plan I sat in seat 8…. I’m in 7. I thought I was paying attention to numbering. The person sitting next to me looked like my sister’s gymnastic coach, Coach Tony. He was nice. He was going to Arkansas for work… he didn’t know why. Good luck to him.

We sat there still doing I guess predeparture stuff, running a few minutes late but we eventually started moving and I braved myself for flight. I still have flight anxiety… I don’t mind planes, but I prefer my two feet on the ground. So we move… and sit… and sit… and I’m thinking “any minute” and then that turned to thoughts of Jon and Kate + 8 when they were going to Utah and they went past their closed airport. A guy that went with me to Japan last year, if he was there, would be saying “Let’s sit here longer. I really want to miss my flight. Why not turn off the AC, too?”

Then the captain speaks… we have a balance problem. I ask my neighbor what is that… he says we are overweight. Great. So we go and park again and one stand by passenger had to leave. Seriously? Was that all? Neighbor laughed at me talking to myself “Please let me make my flight.” Either way I started saying goodbye to my layover, to my breakfast, to my potty break… I knew it was gonna be GIRI-GIRI! Just barely going to make it!

50 minutes later we take off. My layover is an hour. Luckily Memphis is central time, not eastern like I was thinking. Otherwise, unhappy Amber. We land with 20 minutes to spare for my flight. We land at the “A” gates… my next flight? “B” gates. B 34. So I walk…. And walk faster… and get on the moving side walk and stumble… and walk… and call my mom while speed walking. My feet hurt.

I’m sitting on flight #2 now. I made it. 10 minutes late for takeoff. I think my next layover is about an hour. I haven’t eaten breakfast. I need to pee. Flight time is 1:22 (captain just said). Then to Tokyo. Hopefully this flight is less stressful than the last.

Flight #2: A little shut-eye

I think the guy that was sitting next to me was religious and did not like the fact that I was reading Harry Potter. He started reading his Bible and praying. I dunno if he was afraid I was going to bring down the plane with my Harry Potter love (it’s so devilish I know I know!). Maybe he just had anxiety. He didn’t talk much. There was this cute little girl sitting behind me who would sing songs and speak Spanish (Dora the Explorer anyone?) She was singing Happy Birthday when her mom started singing the Barney song and she goes “Hey you interrupt me. I haven’t finished Happy Birthday!” and started over LOL! Super cute kid. She had to be 2 or 3.

That flight was pretty turbulent. I slept…. Well, attempted. Never really reached full sleep. The turbulence woke me up… eventually though I got use to it and it was the smooth riding that would wake me up. Kinda like a baby when you rock them to sleep, and then you stop and they wake up. Yep.

That flight took off about 30 minutes late but I had I think over an hour layover. I never used the bathroom. I got comfortable and decided to just use the bathroom at the next airport.

And I did when arrive and I had 40 minutes til my flight (why do I keep losing layover time??). That was my first stop. Then off to my gate A50. Of course I started at A1. So I’m walking using the sidewalks, talking to family, and wanting food next. I still at this point haven’t eaten anything and my last drink was on my first flight. Sorry I do not care for your peanuts or spice cookies, Northwest/Delta Airlines!

So I walk past McDs, find my gate. There’s no one there so I figured it’s still 30 minutes before my flight… just no one there yet (Yeah, mighty blonde of me now that I think back). Let’s go find food! So I walk a little ways realizing there no food places close, and decide to just eat my food in my bag at the gate. Then I hear me being paged to my gate. So I walk back and they’re like “Burns, Amber Burns?” and I’m like “Yeah???” Ok, so these international flights load 30 minutes before takeoff. I didn’t know that. They were waiting for me, that guy up there and I think someone else. Or maybe I was the last person ^.^; Woops.

So did anyone notice reading this blog that all my layovers disappeared??? GRR!

Flight #3: Here’s your complimentary drink

WITH MY COMPLIMENTARY ICE CUBE! Yeah, singular! I got a Pepsi because I’m kinda shakey considering I STILL HAVEN’T EATEN! Well, no real food at least. Just one bag of teddy cookies and a few Pringles. So I thought the sugar in the Pepsi would help. And I got ONE ICE CUBE! GRRR. Thanks. Whatever.

I would sleep, but they said the “m” word. FOOD!!! (ie “meal”). I smell it. It better be good. On a good note I have all 3 of these seats to myself :D On a bad note I have defective headphones. On a good note there is more than 1 movie and yes I have heard of them. On a bad note I’m not interested in them. Looking at the bright side… I’ve got 12 hours to relax. Not so bright I guess… that’s a loooong time! After food I think I will try sleeping (heck, I can lay down!). I guess despite my stress of late flights, no layovers, and sore feet from running to my gates (this trip has been joyful, yes, I know), I have some luck. This might be the last time I get a whole row to myself.

*8 hours later*

4 hours or so left. I’m so freaking hungry. The first meal was chicken in some nasty sauce. Some nasty tasting veggies, and I think mash potatoes but I never figured it. Mystery airplane food. The roll was hard. And two salads… one had what looked like raw shrimp in them. Why can’t they give normal food? Like chicken nuggets and French fries??? So I ate about half my can of chips, watched 3 episodes of America’s Next Top Model (about half way through all the windows were shut on the plane), slept for 2-3 hours using two seats (this is the highlight of my travel. No, seriously, it’s the only thing that has gone right, except the fact that I’m actually making it Tokyo on time), play video games, read a magazine. Now to find something to do for 4 more hours.

We have these controls on the arm rests that controls the light, channel, volume and what not. Well I turned my light on at one point to fill out immigration forms and when I started playing my DS I was going to turn it off. Come to realize mine is no longer working. My light button is jammed (no more sleeping for me >.<). I’m not sure if I did it… the only thing I can think of was when I came back from the bathroom and I knock one of my seatbelt straps between the seat and wall and had stand up and turn around to find it and get it out… I might have sat on it. It was unintentional of course. Another meal came by soon after I noticed and I let the lady know. This meal was a maybe turkey sandwich with all this condiments on it… gah. Grapes and a cookie… that wasn’t an Oreo. The food was better last year. I blame Delta. I gonna fill out a comment card complaining about condiments and sauces being put in/on my food. Put them on the side please!

PS: Kaitlyn, I’ve been creeping open my window to look out and shutting it fast before I disturb anyone! I’m not the only one that does this, not in my area at least… I’m one of very few that has been doing it, but not the only one.

Compared to last year’s flight to Tokyo, this flight is less crowded. It’s nice. A little lonely. But it’s ok I guess ^.^ I dunno if my first flight anxiety was due to be not flying in a while but I’m more comfortable on this flight. I was OK on the second flight too.

Now the question that is haunting and will continue to haunt me for the next 4 hours or so… will my luggage make it Tokyo with me due to all the late flights?? With my luck thus far… nope!

*A little over 3 hours later*

About 40 minutes til we land. Niiiiice. I spent most of my hours napping/resting (not quite sleeping). At one point I realized “Man it’s quiet” like I felt like I was in that movie The Langaleers and everyone disappeared but me. Nope. Majority of the people were sleeping because in the US it’s nighttime! Sucks for you people if you have jet lag :p I won’t!

I actually got a little bit of real food in me. The choice was fried rice or eggs and sausage. I learned my lesson last year about airplane fried rice… so I went the eggs and sausage. At this point I’m so hungry for real food that if it’s edible I’ll eat it. I ate about 1/3 of the egg and all my sausage and the potatoes were nasty. My stomach can’t handle anymore airplane food. When we land… I’m getting food. Well… first I gotta call Shota… then I’m getting food! >.> Wait, I guess I should exchange my money before that…. THEN FOOD! ^.^

Being on the airplane is like riding in a car to me. There are times I want to ask my mom if we can stop for food… then I realize I can’t. I just noticed that. I can freely open my window since the lights are on. Nothing but water still.

I wrap this up with 35 minutes til landing. And about an hour til real food. <3

*9:30 PM*

My luggage made it. Shota picked me up. First thing getting entering I went to the bathroom (found that before the phone) and changed. He found me buy the phone after I stupidly locked the money up and was starting to get it out to call him. He did drive. I picked on him a lot for his driving but it's drivers here in general. Scary. But then again I think I'd get in a wreck in a minute. The way things are here. No wonder the cars have GPS. You can't memorize how to get anywhere!

We ate lunch and then picked up Jun and Kai. Then we came to the hotel, checked in, I checked in with my family, and we went to JoyPolis. At this time I realized I forgot to exchange the rest of my money... luckily I had some yen already! I'll exchange it in the morning. We did the Room of Living Dolls. I joked afterward with Jun which was scarier... that or Shota's driving! LOL. I just got back. I'm good. Tired.

The Day Has Arrived...

2009-07-26T21:22:00.004-05:00

...well, almost. I take off in less than 9 hours. It's bittersweet. I'm excited though. My friend is meeting me at the airport in Tokyo :) I'm not sure what all he has planned for that day once I get my stuff to the hotel. I believe he asked once in the past if I had plans that day... which I didn't. Still don't.

I really want to take a lot of pics in travel this time. I didn't take hardly any last year when I went. I guess if some point I'm worried that people think I'm weird for taking so many pics... I'll just use my computer's webcam (Dell Mini 10 has one installed). They'll think I'm just using my computer. HEEEEY!!!! That could be a good time killer on my 13 hour flight!! Take funny pics on the airplane ^.^ I do wanna type up a traveling journal. I don't think I'll be able to update my blog while traveling.

Some questions on my mind... will my flights be on time? will I sit next to good people (last year on one flight I sat between two complete strangers and they were awesome)? will I sleep through a meal and be denied food? will I have good food to eat? will I have more than one movie, preferably a movie I've heard before? will customs and immigration be a total headache? will I be able to accomplish brushing my teeth in flight? will I be able to sleep enough to fight jet lag?

Yep... they haunt me.

Currently I'm watching the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on ABC Family. I'm debating watching Order of the Phoenix tonight. I guess it's still too new to show on TV. They never show it on their "Harry Potter Weekend". I bought the Half Blood Prince in paperback for my trip. I decided against the Deathly Hollows in paperback. One book to read there... one book to read back (Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress" was my choice). I'm not a big reader.

I'm staring at my big (old, beat up) Japanese dictionary..... I need to pack that. I think I overpacked. Oh well.

Thinking how much I want to see the new Harry Potter movie. I'm seeing it with my friend like I mentioned previously. My friend here wonders if he really likes Harry Potter and wants to see it... or if it's just an excuse to go to the movies with me HAHA. Could be... I mean I emailed him asked if he like Harry Potter. Of course he said yes because obviously I do. He probably even knew what I was going to ask if he showed interest. I mean wouldn't that be odd to be like "Hey, do you like Harry Potter?" and be told "Yea, I do!" and then be like "Oh, well, I don't. Just thought I'd let you know." LOL! Yeah... that's a funny thought. I'm going to do that randomly to someone one day. "Hey do you like ______" "YEAH" "I don't!"

I think I'm getting tired ^.^ I didn't sleep much last night. I doubt I'll get much sleep tonight... even though I'm trying not to. I hope that mosquito that was in my room trying to bite me before is dead... or gone. Stupid mosquito. Stupid English for making the pronounciation of mosquito "MUHSKEETOE" and not "MUHSKWEETOE". I like "MUHSKWEETOE" better. English with it's exceptions. More exceptions than rules! It shouldn't even have rules........ /end of tired rambling.

Ok, enough of my rambling. My next update will be from Japan!

PS: Dear people sitting next to me! I know where the headphone jack on my computer is compared to my microphone jack! It's the hole closest to me! So no plugging my headphones into the wrong one, turning the sound up all the way (wondering why I cannot hear it) and disturbing you... until I realize why... Nope, none of that.

More Surprises!

2009-07-22T10:48:00.004-05:00

So I got an email from my adviser yesterday (and I'm going to take the time now to say how great she is and how thankful I am that my school has her!) telling me that my visa should be shipped Thursday and arrive Friday or worse case scenario on Saturday.

So I'm sitting in my room today and I hear the big truck sound (that can be a garbage truck, FEDEX truck, noisy neighbor truck... any of those) and I think I hear the glass door close (I'm right above it on the second floor). So I'm like "nah.... can't be..." About 15 minutes being my lazy self I get my tracking number for my passport and visa and it says "delivered" and I'm like "YOU'RE KIDDING ME!" and I go downstairs thinking "this can't be good... I musta forgot something and they sent it back to me..." But by golly I have my passport with my visa!

So a happy ending to my visa horror story.

Countdown: 5 days.

Speechless....

2009-07-16T11:50:00.006-05:00

So as of 9:40ish AM my time, my COE was in Jacksonville with the courier... 6 hour drive away. Some how at 11:45ish AM my time... the door bell is ringing and I'm like "MY COMPUTER!" and open my door to DHL O.O HOW'D THEY DO THAT!?!?! Ok... so I still diss DHL for it's lack of dependability and for it's horrible online tracking. But I'll give the kudos for magic tricks.

Now to figure out if I should ship it or just hold on to it.....

Please stand by...

EDIT #1: I believe DHL has made a mistake on it's tracking. Up until delivery it said the destination was my city...... now that it's been delivered it says it's delivery site is Jacksonville >.> I still prefer FedEx.

EDIT #2: So I was told to ship it overnight. I'm going to trust my adviser... if she really didn't believe I would get it back before I left... she would not have told me to send it. So it is overnight'ed there (VIA FEDEX!) to be delivered Friday morning... and overnighted back to me. Now to find a way to contact the consulate to tell them "If you can't do it or if something is wrong, send it back NOW"

Also, I was wrong about it costing $100 to send.... cost about 50$

A True Visa Horror Story

2009-07-16T09:43:00.005-05:00

Kudos goes to FedEx for their awesome service- tracking, delivery, and doing what they are suppose to do. GO FEDEX! IN FACT! My netbook is suppose to be 2 day delivery! And it was shipped YESTERDAY! So I get a day early :D

Disses go to DHL because their service sucks and so does the their tracking. COE was shipped NEXT DAY delivery. I know some people wonder how that is possible from Japan but it is, because some people have received their COE next day. It surprised me, too. Well my COE took a detour to Hong Kong. Currently, it's in Atlanta. It's been in Atlanta since about 5:30 am EST. Has not been processed, has not left. I think even if I do get the COE today (I'm starting to doubt that), there is no way I'll get it in time to overnight it to the embassy.

My biggest fear was shipping it, passport and paperwork, and it not come back before I leave (you know it'll cost me over 100$ to overnight and send an overnight envelope to have it back to me). That would suck, to not have my passport when I need to leave. Basically, overnight, take 4-5 days to process, and overnight back... Embassy is not open on Saturdays. So 6-7 days. It needs to be there by Friday (not sent, BE THERE). This is SOOO not gonna happen.

Plan? Apply for visa in Japan. I'm not sure how this will work. I'll be enter Japan on a tourist visa..... I'm not even 100% sure I can change my status. I've hear I can, I've heard I can't, I've heard I can but I have to re-enter the country. Well, this is a set back... but I'm sure it's making my blog a juicy read.

I'm not telling people not to use DHL, but if you are rushing something, don't count on them. With this experience being my first with DHL, well, first impressions are hard to change, and my first impression of DHL is not a good one.

EDIT: As I was typing that entry, DHL updated my tracking... at 10:40 EST my COE arrived in Jacksonville, and with the delivery courier... in Jacksonville............... >.> Uhm, that's worse than FedEx. I was O.o when my FedEx package was in Crestview... but I'm just O.O to think my COE is with a courier in Jacksonville. That's on the other side of the state >.< Dear DHL: YOU FAIL! Dear KG: Let me introduce you to FedEx! And I hope you got reimbursed for a failed next day delivery service.

RUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-14T06:33:00.004-05:00

So I got my email today that my COE has been shipped next day delivery (let me comment again on how Japan can manage this yet my netbook is still being built *tsk tsk* Dell... you lose). I plan on getting all the visa paperwork filled out today and have my keys in my hand when DHL delivers my COE to go ship it to Miami. I hope I still have enough time to get this done. Wouldn't it suck to send it to Miami and it doesn't return before my flight??? I have to send my passport with it.

Man, my blog is getting exciting!

Stay tuned for there is less than 2 weeks to go!

PS: I'm seeing the new Harry Potter movie in Japan with my friend :D WOOT WOOT

PSPS: I've been trying to figure out how to link my online photo album to my blog... this may take time and may be figured out when I get there and have pics to share.

Flight Itinerary and Visa Woes

2009-07-10T11:52:00.004-05:00

I believe I promised this entry...

If you are one of those people who like things done and done fast, you get stressed out when things are getting down to the last minute, you are female whose PMS can cause you to get extra stressed out and emotional, etc etc... I do not recommend a Two Part Adventure at Sophia and Kansai Gaidai.

For those who are wanting to study abroad for a semester/year, you will need to acquire a Certificate of Eligibility (abbreviated CoE/COE) from the school are attending to get your visa. Kansai Gaidai says that they do not recommend people come TOO early to Japan because they, KG, cannot guarantee you will get your COE in time to get your visa before you leave. Now, I'm leaving at the end of July, that makes me think I have plenty of times especially when I have been told so and read past blogs where people receive their COE at the beginning of July.

Well..... KG must be taking their sweet time this semester. If you have Facebook or any other social networking account try searching for others who are going abroad as well to your school to get to know people. I've already got a roomie :D The downside to this lately is hearing about everyone getting their acceptance before me, getting their COEs before me, and at times I'm just like "If I don't go, I don't go, oh well". Currently, though, I will admit I'm very "moody" *cough*PMS*cough* Although some people may hear you cannot apply for your visa in Japan, I have been told I can but their is a higher chance of being denied. So basically, the worst case scenario is that I will not go to KG. Hopefully it doesn't come down to that.

No word from Sophia since my big packet of maps. Though I'd like to comment on my ability to now figure out how to get from point A to point B on the map via train(s). Kinda awesome. I know buying my train ticket and getting on the right train is going to totally spoil that ability but..... hopefully I will be ok with travels.

I have bought my plane ticket (technically, it is on hold while my card is pending). I'm flying exactly what I flew last year to Japan. I leave at 6 am and should walk through customs into Japan by 3 pm :D Kinda nice. Only costed about 1225$

For those students going abroad, here is a nice website (Orbitz links to this, and I've heard of others using it so you can trust it unless any future posts say otherwise):
www.studentuniverse.com

The only thing annoying on that site is if you do your name wrong, you have to call them to change it. So go on and register and type your name EXACTLY as it is on your passport. I wanted to get angry and complain about that (like I said I'm moody) but the lady was so nice I didn't want to yell at her. Also, if you are a UWF student there is a possibility you may need to help them verify your student status. Just take screen shots of your account balance via Argus from the most current semester, even if it takes two shots, and paste into a word document. It needs to have your name, UWF (the address is at the bottom so that works), and the semester name and date.

Anyways... I'll be sure to update when I get my COE (which is sent next day delivery... now if Japan can manage that why can't Dell manage to build my new laptop and ship it in a week? Yet again, Japan wins).

I believe I had a TO DO list in an earlier post

*Buy a plane ticket |||CHECK|||
*Receive my visa |||STILL WAITING FOR COE|||
*Meet with Uni personal to get classes registered |||WILL BE REGISTERED ABOUT A WEEK AFTER EACH SEMESTER BEGINS|||
*Pay for summer tuition |||WILL BE ABLE TO AFTER I'M REGISTERED THROUGH MY UNI|||
*Double check my financial aid |||AWAITING REPLY|||
*Shop |||STARTING THAT SOON BUT MAY TAKE A WEEK|||
*Pack |||WILL DO A FEW DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE|||
*Buy some new flip flops |||CHECK|||
*Maybe get some travelers checks |||WILL DO BEFORE DEPARTURE|||

Countdown: 17 days (I can HAHA at this point to all the KG students who are waiting 50 days or so... HAHAHAHAHA)

Admission Info

2009-06-22T15:52:00.003-05:00

WARNING: Sophia University is NOT gaijin (foreigner) friendly. From what I'm getting with this packet of maps and written instructions. So I got a thick envelope in the mail today from that included:

1) map of Tokyo
2) receipt for hotel payment
3) welcome letter
4) "while in Tokyo" (random letter)
5) "orientation day" (info about orientation)
6) Sophia Campus Map
7) schedule of events
8) list of textbooks
9) Tokyo Metro Map (subway map)
10) access from Narita Airport map
11) hotel information (including access)

That's... A LOT of maps. My understand is "Here are some maps and written instructions on finding the school from your hotel... oh and GOOD LUCK!" I'm glad this isn't my first time to Japan. I feel for those who have never been. They will need that luck. After reviewing the access map to my hotel, I'm confident I can get from Narita to my hotel on my own. But I know Jun and Shota might worry, so one or both most likely won't allow that. But who knows, maybe they will have pick up service... ... ... ... we'll see.

Kansai Gaidai sent an email last week that had a link to the Fall Admissions site that had a lot of info which I printed. This included Arrival Information, Orientation Program Info (most still TBA), Visa Application Info, Insurance Info, Standard of Conduct info, FAQ, the ever so popular (in Japan) Access Maps, and info on computer facilities. Nothing much to discuss about this info. Also the homestay participants (not me, I'm dorm) got a letter saying that there is too many homestay applicants than homestay families so some should reconsider housing... and if there are still too many, they will choose randomly who gets homestay.

OK... that's my update...

Countdown: 6 Weeks

2009-06-14T20:27:00.008-05:00

So far I've accomplished paying for my hotel in Tokyo that I will be staying at during my summer semester at Sophia. I did email Sophia University and they verified that they received the payment and will be sending me a receipt via airmail... I wanna know what is up with Sophia and airmail? Did they not get bitten by the tech bug yet? Honestly that was the FIRST email I received from them and it was only because I emailed them first. If you haven't caught on, my acceptance was via airmail, too.

So, I haven't done much, hence the slowness of my blog. I still need to...

*Buy a plane ticket (haha, I know, people get accepted and it's usually the FIRST thing they do, it's like the guarantee that they are leaving)
*Receive my visa
*Meet with Uni personal to get classes registered
*Pay for summer tuition
*Double check my financial aid
*Shop
*Pack
*Buy some new flip flops
*Maybe get some travelers checks

Hopefully everything to do with school and financial aid will be taken care of by the end of June. Hopefully I receive my visa before I leave. Hopefully I can pack what I need and still have plenty of space in my suitcases. Still 6 weeks left, still plenty to do, still plenty to worry about.

I guarantee you that during the pre-departure period, there is nothing much to do except do any necessary paperwork, pay any fees, and prepare to go. Once I get to Japan, there should be an entry everyday. Also, I'll update my blog (somehow) to let everyone know when I have new pics in my online photo album (which I will link every to once there are pics there!).

So, the last blog I complained about KG not sending acceptance letters by their said date. This blog I complained about Sophia's airmail obsession. Stay tuned for my plane itinerary and visa woes! I bet you one of my travelers checks that will be the next entry LOL. Remember before betting: I control this blog ^.~

Pre-Note

2009-05-12T21:02:00.001-05:00

For those interested in Kansai Gaidai's program: Whether you apply for early admission or not, do not count on them contacting you by the date given or within that 3-week period. I say this because I was given the date April 16, and it is May 12. When I asked previous participants, they cannot remember whether they had this issue or not. So hopefully this advice keeps anybody else from panicking.

And the countdown to my adventure begins...

*UPDATE* I did get my email May 15

One more tip for future applicants: If you decide to take your own picture for the application, SAVE IT TO YOUR COMPUTER for your visa lol You don't know how many times I've had to take that picture (10 pics for KG, 2 pics for Sophia, 2 pics for visa, 1 pic for ISIC card). And print them at Wal*Mart or any other place with Kodak print stations... trust me it's cheaper then getting passport photos taken (I think it's like 2 for 10$ at WalGreens)