So today we had our first Asian studies class. Japanese class doesn't start until Thursday. Right now I'm taking The Influence of Asian on Pre-modern Japanese Literature. The lecture today was kind of dry, but I think it'll be bearable for three weeks. We got the entire packet of readings for the whole class...it's about the amount we'd have to read at Swarthmore for one day of class. Go intensive learning environments! (not)
Anyway, I woke up today at 8:30 because my host mother insisted I get up, even though I didn't have to get to Kyudai until 10:45. Thus, I was very tired at breakfast. We talked about my family and the rain and Natsumi's coming of age party that will be held in July, all the while I was struggling to comprehend a single word of her Japanese and mutter enough phrases portraying interest in order to maintain the image of actually being awake. Breakfast was almost American: scrambled eggs, some sort of bacon/ham, toast, and rice tea. I think there was brown sugar or something in the eggs, because they tasted like syrup...hm.
After I made it to Kyudai, I attempted to set up the wireless internet on my mac, failed utterly, and, giving up, proceeded to go to my Japanese language interview. After the horrible placement test that I had to endure yesterday, I wanted no more to do with being judged. Luckily for me, the "interview" consisted of a 3 minute conversation about where I'm living, how I get to Kyudai, and when I arrived at Fukuoka. My interviewer told me I'd been placed into the level-4 class, and that I'd buy my book when I start. Level 4? Really? There are only 6 levels and I swear I only answered one question on the Kanji test, and none on the reading comprehension... Well, whatever the cause, I'm in 4th level Japanese, and hopefully that'll help me skip 2nd year when I get back to Swat.
Like I said, class was fine, if boring. Afterwards I went to the library to fiddle with the internet more, fail at it some more, and then talk with my friend Sabine, who is from Germany, about stuff people from different countries talk about together (the economy, schooling systems, learning foreign languages, wanting to visit Germany/U.S.). Eventually she left and I got my internet to work. I went to the International reading room and sat down and semi-dozed off for a while.
Around 6pm, I decided I should be on my way back to Higashi Tsukiguma, so I left for the Kaizuka subway station. I struggled to purchase a monthly pass from a lady who spoke no English (as if I possessed the appropriate subway-related terminology), and eventually coughed up 120,000円. (Around $120) Yeah. Expensive. Without it I'd pay basically the same thing (about $6 a day on the subway, for 20 days of the month), except I get unlimited rides now, so I can take off to Tenjin or Hakata or hang out with friends at their apartments if I want for no extra fee.
Anyway, now I'm poor and I won't be going to Tokyo by far this summer (more reason to come back?) and am running out of Yen. I have to go exchange more tomorrow, and hopefully I don't lose $100+ in the conversion like I just realized I did at LAX. Stupid money.
30.6.09
28.6.09
ブロッグが始まった時 (When I started my blog)
6/29
ATW began today. I woke up around 7:45, ate breakfast with Mama-san and Natsumi, and left for the Airport (where I catch my subway). Natsumi helped me buy a ticket and we got on the same first train. She got off first, and left me with directions to Kyudai. I got there alright, and got to the International Student Center surprisingly fast. We had Orientation for a bit, then the placement exam. The test started out alright...but then went way down hill. My listening skills are very poor, so that part of the test was pretty bad. There were definitely questions I should have been able to answer that I either didn't or answered wrong. Oh well. Afterwards we had a party for a couple of hours, which turned out to be pretty nice. I met a lot of people, and everyone was very nice. One guy looks a lot like a mix between my old suitemate Ben Yelsey and my older roommate Eric Anderson. His name is Max, and he's really nice. He and this girl Anna both talked with me about Japanese literature. He's into linguistics and she's into translation. So great. Haha. I also met a few other people from U. of Michigan, all very nice.
Emily (also from UM), Me, and Max
On the way back from lunch, some girls stopped Max and I and took our pictures. They said we were going to be in a fashion magazine and then interviewed us about our clothes and secret love lives...interesting. After the party we all played a batsu game (read: penalty game) where the batsu was to eat candy. So basically not a batsu at all. It was some number game that would be good for teaching how to count...it really helped my counting quickly in Japanese. It was fun, too. The Singapore kids instigated it. They are a fun bunch.
This is some of them :D
6/27 - 6/28
Saturday I really just hung around the house, playing with the cats. They have interesting names: Reito, Maika, and Nyanda. The dog's name is Jakku. I'm glad my host family has so many animals. It's so easy to speak Japanese when it's to an animal, haha.
Anyway, Sunday I went on a surprise journey. I woke up with a stomach ache, and then was presented with a huge breakfast of french toast. After I ate it all, my host family kept saying "let's go let's go!" I assumed we were going for a walk. I was wrong. We drove for about an hour. I'm still unsure as to where we were, but it was some sort of folkcraft village.
Fans made of metal outside the metal shop.
Ceramics shop.
I bought Sarah a Japanese umbrella at a gift shop. It's very nice. Then we went into a glass shop and were taught how to make pretty glass beads with flowers inside from scratch. I totally melted glass and stuff. It was awesome.
Me being awesome and melting glass.
Me being awesome and melting other glass to decorate the main glass.
My awesome finished product.
Then we went into a pottery house and made stuff. I made a cup for Eric. Natsumi made a bowl that looked like a coiled snake, and Mama-san made a statue of Reito. It's adorable.
Mama-san making her statue of Reito.
Mama-san's finished statue of Reito.
Makin' Eric's cup.
Mama-san said these things make the best souvenirs, because there's only one in the whole world, and it was made in Japan. I agree.
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
６月２６日
こんばんは！６月２８日だけど、私は忙しくてきましたから、今日はこのブロッグが始まりますよね。台湾空港から私の飛行機は午後４：２０出て行きました。あまり長くない直行便（２時間だけ！）だったけど、たくさん寝てた。ビルといって優しくて面白い人に飛行機で会いました。その人は日本に住んでいると言って、電話番号を私に送りました。「アメリカ人を会いたかったら、僕に電話でかけて下さい。僕の米軍基地(American Military Base)に来られますよね。」と言いました。ちょっと変だったけど、優しそうだったね。
福岡空港に着いた時、２時間ぐらいでATWから来た人を待ちました。私のピアチューターと女の人に会いました。彼女は紙と新しいIDを私に送りました。チューターは優しくてちょっとしずかですよ。
ホーストファミリーの両親は30分後で来ました。日本人上、ホーストファミリーがちょっと変だけど、私そいつらが好きです。ママは短くて、かわよくて、大きい眼鏡をかけています。パパは面白くて、優しくて、子供の心があります。私を家に連れて来て、お子さんの菜摘に取り込みます。菜摘もとても優しいです。かわいい猫が３匹いて、犬も１匹います。私の部屋は和洋の部屋です。畳や戸や床で寝ている布団があります。居心地のいいですよ。
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
6/26
Hey all! I know it's actually the 28th, but since I've been busy, I'm starting my blog today. My plane left Taoyuan airport at 4:20pm. The flight wasn't too long (only 2 hours!), but I slept through most of it anyway. I met a nice, interesting guy named Bill on the plane. He said he lives in Japan, and gave me his number. He said, "If you want to hang out with some Americans, give me a call. You can come the the military base where I live." It was a little weird, but he seemed nice enough. I doubt I'll call him, anyway.
Once I got to Fukuoka Airport, I had to wait a couple hours for people from ATW to show up. I met my peer tutor and a lady who runs the program. She gave me a bunch of papers and a new ID. My tutor is nice, while a little quiet.
My host parents came half an hour later. They're very unorthodox for Japanese people, which I like. Easier to adjust to their home life. My host mom is cute, short, and had huge glasses. My host dad is funny, friendly, and a child at heart. They took me back to (our) house and introduced me to their daughter, Natsumi, who is also very, very nice. They have three cats, who are all adorable, and a dog. My room is a traditional Japanese style room, with sliding doors, tatami mats, and a futon that I sleep in on the floor. It's cozy.
My oshîre. Yeah. I have an oshîre. Futon inside.
My desk / desk "chair" (read: cushion)
ATW began today. I woke up around 7:45, ate breakfast with Mama-san and Natsumi, and left for the Airport (where I catch my subway). Natsumi helped me buy a ticket and we got on the same first train. She got off first, and left me with directions to Kyudai. I got there alright, and got to the International Student Center surprisingly fast. We had Orientation for a bit, then the placement exam. The test started out alright...but then went way down hill. My listening skills are very poor, so that part of the test was pretty bad. There were definitely questions I should have been able to answer that I either didn't or answered wrong. Oh well. Afterwards we had a party for a couple of hours, which turned out to be pretty nice. I met a lot of people, and everyone was very nice. One guy looks a lot like a mix between my old suitemate Ben Yelsey and my older roommate Eric Anderson. His name is Max, and he's really nice. He and this girl Anna both talked with me about Japanese literature. He's into linguistics and she's into translation. So great. Haha. I also met a few other people from U. of Michigan, all very nice.
Emily (also from UM), Me, and Max
On the way back from lunch, some girls stopped Max and I and took our pictures. They said we were going to be in a fashion magazine and then interviewed us about our clothes and secret love lives...interesting. After the party we all played a batsu game (read: penalty game) where the batsu was to eat candy. So basically not a batsu at all. It was some number game that would be good for teaching how to count...it really helped my counting quickly in Japanese. It was fun, too. The Singapore kids instigated it. They are a fun bunch.
This is some of them :D6/27 - 6/28
Saturday I really just hung around the house, playing with the cats. They have interesting names: Reito, Maika, and Nyanda. The dog's name is Jakku. I'm glad my host family has so many animals. It's so easy to speak Japanese when it's to an animal, haha.
Anyway, Sunday I went on a surprise journey. I woke up with a stomach ache, and then was presented with a huge breakfast of french toast. After I ate it all, my host family kept saying "let's go let's go!" I assumed we were going for a walk. I was wrong. We drove for about an hour. I'm still unsure as to where we were, but it was some sort of folkcraft village.
Fans made of metal outside the metal shop.
Ceramics shop.I bought Sarah a Japanese umbrella at a gift shop. It's very nice. Then we went into a glass shop and were taught how to make pretty glass beads with flowers inside from scratch. I totally melted glass and stuff. It was awesome.
Me being awesome and melting glass.
Me being awesome and melting other glass to decorate the main glass.
My awesome finished product.Then we went into a pottery house and made stuff. I made a cup for Eric. Natsumi made a bowl that looked like a coiled snake, and Mama-san made a statue of Reito. It's adorable.
Mama-san making her statue of Reito.
Mama-san's finished statue of Reito.
Makin' Eric's cup.Mama-san said these things make the best souvenirs, because there's only one in the whole world, and it was made in Japan. I agree.
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
６月２６日
こんばんは！６月２８日だけど、私は忙しくてきましたから、今日はこのブロッグが始まりますよね。台湾空港から私の飛行機は午後４：２０出て行きました。あまり長くない直行便（２時間だけ！）だったけど、たくさん寝てた。ビルといって優しくて面白い人に飛行機で会いました。その人は日本に住んでいると言って、電話番号を私に送りました。「アメリカ人を会いたかったら、僕に電話でかけて下さい。僕の米軍基地(American Military Base)に来られますよね。」と言いました。ちょっと変だったけど、優しそうだったね。
福岡空港に着いた時、２時間ぐらいでATWから来た人を待ちました。私のピアチューターと女の人に会いました。彼女は紙と新しいIDを私に送りました。チューターは優しくてちょっとしずかですよ。
ホーストファミリーの両親は30分後で来ました。日本人上、ホーストファミリーがちょっと変だけど、私そいつらが好きです。ママは短くて、かわよくて、大きい眼鏡をかけています。パパは面白くて、優しくて、子供の心があります。私を家に連れて来て、お子さんの菜摘に取り込みます。菜摘もとても優しいです。かわいい猫が３匹いて、犬も１匹います。私の部屋は和洋の部屋です。畳や戸や床で寝ている布団があります。居心地のいいですよ。
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
6/26
Hey all! I know it's actually the 28th, but since I've been busy, I'm starting my blog today. My plane left Taoyuan airport at 4:20pm. The flight wasn't too long (only 2 hours!), but I slept through most of it anyway. I met a nice, interesting guy named Bill on the plane. He said he lives in Japan, and gave me his number. He said, "If you want to hang out with some Americans, give me a call. You can come the the military base where I live." It was a little weird, but he seemed nice enough. I doubt I'll call him, anyway.
Once I got to Fukuoka Airport, I had to wait a couple hours for people from ATW to show up. I met my peer tutor and a lady who runs the program. She gave me a bunch of papers and a new ID. My tutor is nice, while a little quiet.
My host parents came half an hour later. They're very unorthodox for Japanese people, which I like. Easier to adjust to their home life. My host mom is cute, short, and had huge glasses. My host dad is funny, friendly, and a child at heart. They took me back to (our) house and introduced me to their daughter, Natsumi, who is also very, very nice. They have three cats, who are all adorable, and a dog. My room is a traditional Japanese style room, with sliding doors, tatami mats, and a futon that I sleep in on the floor. It's cozy.
My oshîre. Yeah. I have an oshîre. Futon inside.
My desk / desk "chair" (read: cushion)
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