Well, I made it home. I'M SO HAPPY. I'll write a proper update later about the travel home and such. For now, though, I'll leave you with an entry I wrote early Saturday morning:
Okie dokie, at the moment I’m sitting in some sort of semi-outside service room at Osaka Itami Airport at 5AM. Um, it turns out the airport doesn’t open until 6AM. Yeah…who knew that airports closed at night? I’ve never heard such a thing. And apparently neither have Seiko, or Otōsan, or the guy at the CIE who called the taxi for me, because no one thought to tell us that we’d be standing outside the airport doors with our luggage for an hour! Bizarre. Luckily we found a security guard who informed us that no, we are not lost, the place just doesn’t open for another hour. I’m so glad Mariah is with me; I’d be terrified, but at this point it’s just hilarious. I’m so happy to be going home that it’s not gonna faze me.
Anyway, we found this little empty room that was open, so we’re sitting here on the floor waiting until 6:00. We’re right across the street from the police station, so that makes me feel good. I’m just hoping somebody doesn’t discover us and kick us out for trespassing; I have no idea what this place is. Probably just a service entrance for something. Anyway, there’s no heat, but it’s closed in and considerably warmer than outside. Things could be worse. I even have a bottle of Coke and a pack of Choco Chippu to tide us over. I’m very entertained by the whole situation, to tell the truth.
Mkay, I guess I’ll just play some FreeCell for the next 55 minutes.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Twelve hours to go!
Today was my last day in Japan, and I'm pretty tired from it. I sold back my bike to the place that sold it to me--the shop where I asked for a vegetable bike. I bought it from them for 6500, and sold it back for 700. Not such a great deal, but that's okay; it was a good bike, and it was orange and had a groovy basket. Then I walked to school and had lunch with Saho at the round cafeteria, where I ate one last curry rice.
After lunch I got a nice man in the CIE to call a taxi for me; it'll be here to pick me up at 4AM. I also took my final exam for Japan in Western Film and Literature, which was a little more difficult than I expected, but not a big deal. When that was over, I met with Yukari, and she gave me some really pretty chopsticks as well as a luck charm. They're really cute.
I got some hot chocolate and walked home; it was cold, but a pleasant evening. I was a little sad to be leaving campus and seeing the neighborhood for the last time, but I'm so excited to leave, too. When I got back to the dorm, I did some last minute cleaning before my room inspection. I had heard that they were really strict about things being clean, so I went all out. I even took wet Kleenex to the corners of my closet so I got all the dust up. Okaasan seemed pleased. Apparently I was one of the few people who passed the inspection the first time and didn't have to go back and vacuum or do dishes, and she was so overjoyed that she gave me a hug. Weird.
Anyway, after all that cleaning I took a shower, and now I'm sleepy and ready for bed. Aww, my last time with my beloved futon! How sad. I really, really do love that thing. So comfortable! Oh well.
It's not even 9:00, but I'm waking up at 3AM, so I'll be going to bed now. Goodnight, and wish me luck with the travel.
After lunch I got a nice man in the CIE to call a taxi for me; it'll be here to pick me up at 4AM. I also took my final exam for Japan in Western Film and Literature, which was a little more difficult than I expected, but not a big deal. When that was over, I met with Yukari, and she gave me some really pretty chopsticks as well as a luck charm. They're really cute.
I got some hot chocolate and walked home; it was cold, but a pleasant evening. I was a little sad to be leaving campus and seeing the neighborhood for the last time, but I'm so excited to leave, too. When I got back to the dorm, I did some last minute cleaning before my room inspection. I had heard that they were really strict about things being clean, so I went all out. I even took wet Kleenex to the corners of my closet so I got all the dust up. Okaasan seemed pleased. Apparently I was one of the few people who passed the inspection the first time and didn't have to go back and vacuum or do dishes, and she was so overjoyed that she gave me a hug. Weird.
Anyway, after all that cleaning I took a shower, and now I'm sleepy and ready for bed. Aww, my last time with my beloved futon! How sad. I really, really do love that thing. So comfortable! Oh well.
It's not even 9:00, but I'm waking up at 3AM, so I'll be going to bed now. Goodnight, and wish me luck with the travel.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Dessert Viking
Mkay, so after that last frantic post I continued to freak out, talked on Skype to Cara, and had a massive cry. It's not that big of a deal, I know, but I got really upset for some reason. (TMI WARNING: Part of it, I'm sure, is that my hormones are playing fun games with me right now. Did this incredibly stressful travel have to come at this particular time of the month? Honestly.) But anyway, after a nice nap and part of a delicious chocolate bar from Leslie, I was feeling better enough to finally start packing.
At 6:00 I met Shoko, Leslie, and Jamie and we headed to Shinsaibashi in Osaka to eat at Sweets Paradise. I swear, I've said like four times to myself, "Oh, this is my last time in Osaka! How sad," yet I keep going back. Anyway, Sweets Paradise is a "dessert viking," which is an image that makes me smile. I think of some pale blond guy holding a sword made out of Twinkies or something. But "viking" is the Japanese word for buffet--I think it has some relation to our borrowed word "smorgasbord." At least, both make me think of Scandanavia. But I digress.
The dessert viking was delicious. You pay about $15 for an hour and a half, and it's all you can eat yum. Mostly it's different kinds of cake-like things, but they also had fruit, ice cream, sno-cones, potato chips, pasta, curry rice, soup, and gelatins. I found a tomato and eggplant pasta that I loved. I realized later why I liked it so much: it didn't taste remotely like fish. Oh Japan. Also there was an Oreo cheesecake that made my life better. Like I said before, a lot of Japanese desserts seem to have a sugar-free flavor, so most of the other sweets were so-so, I thought. Still I really enjoyed the pasta, and I'm quite full. I'm not sure it was worth the full $15, but it was a lot of fun. And they were playing this Christmas music in a music-box style, which made everything meccha whimsical and stuff, especially with all the Christmas lights and snowflake decorations and all. It was like living in Candy Land, especially the area with Queen Frostine and the root beer float sea or whatever it was called.
I always liked Queen Frostine, but it bothered me that on my Candy Land board, she looked a little bit different than she did on the instructions. I think it was just her dress that was a bit different. Still, how come Gloppy or Grandma Nut didn't change clothes? Weird.
Anyway, after we had eaten all we could, we headed home. And this really was my last time on the train, I think. It was a good train ride; I talked a lot with Shoko, which was fun. She's a really, really sweet person. Turns out she's from Kobe, and she'll be living there again next semester because her contract in the seminar house was just for the fall. She had a two and a half hour commute (one way) every day! I couldn't do it.
And then I got home and finished packing. Everything actually fit, and I didn't even have to sit on either suitcase. Weird. I still have a few more last-minute things to put in there, like my pajamas, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'm very, very glad to have the packing done, though. That's a relief.
I haven't been able to get ahold of Seiko, my RA, who is going to help me get a taxi. But that's okay, I can do it tomorrow. And I can always get help from Saho or Yukari tomorrow, too.
So, tomorrow I'll try again to sell my bike back, dust off all my stuff in my room so it's ready for inspection, and run the sweeper. I'm to meet Saho for lunch at 11:30 at school, and I'll chill there until my 2:30 exam. The final shouldn't take more than an hour, tops, so I've got free time after that. At 4:30 I'm meeting Yukari, and we're going to hang out until 6:00, at which point I'm coming back to the dorm. At 7:40 Otōsan comes to inspect my room and give me the go-ahead to check out. Then I plan to take a final shower, and nap until about 2 or 3AM. The taxi should come at 4AM to take Mariah and me to the airport. At least, that's the plan. We shall see.
In any case, I'm feeling much better about things than I was earlier, because if nothing else I know all my stuff will fit in my luggage. And now I'm going to shower and go to bed, because I am so drained right now it's not funny.
At 6:00 I met Shoko, Leslie, and Jamie and we headed to Shinsaibashi in Osaka to eat at Sweets Paradise. I swear, I've said like four times to myself, "Oh, this is my last time in Osaka! How sad," yet I keep going back. Anyway, Sweets Paradise is a "dessert viking," which is an image that makes me smile. I think of some pale blond guy holding a sword made out of Twinkies or something. But "viking" is the Japanese word for buffet--I think it has some relation to our borrowed word "smorgasbord." At least, both make me think of Scandanavia. But I digress.
The dessert viking was delicious. You pay about $15 for an hour and a half, and it's all you can eat yum. Mostly it's different kinds of cake-like things, but they also had fruit, ice cream, sno-cones, potato chips, pasta, curry rice, soup, and gelatins. I found a tomato and eggplant pasta that I loved. I realized later why I liked it so much: it didn't taste remotely like fish. Oh Japan. Also there was an Oreo cheesecake that made my life better. Like I said before, a lot of Japanese desserts seem to have a sugar-free flavor, so most of the other sweets were so-so, I thought. Still I really enjoyed the pasta, and I'm quite full. I'm not sure it was worth the full $15, but it was a lot of fun. And they were playing this Christmas music in a music-box style, which made everything meccha whimsical and stuff, especially with all the Christmas lights and snowflake decorations and all. It was like living in Candy Land, especially the area with Queen Frostine and the root beer float sea or whatever it was called.
I always liked Queen Frostine, but it bothered me that on my Candy Land board, she looked a little bit different than she did on the instructions. I think it was just her dress that was a bit different. Still, how come Gloppy or Grandma Nut didn't change clothes? Weird.
Anyway, after we had eaten all we could, we headed home. And this really was my last time on the train, I think. It was a good train ride; I talked a lot with Shoko, which was fun. She's a really, really sweet person. Turns out she's from Kobe, and she'll be living there again next semester because her contract in the seminar house was just for the fall. She had a two and a half hour commute (one way) every day! I couldn't do it.
And then I got home and finished packing. Everything actually fit, and I didn't even have to sit on either suitcase. Weird. I still have a few more last-minute things to put in there, like my pajamas, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'm very, very glad to have the packing done, though. That's a relief.
I haven't been able to get ahold of Seiko, my RA, who is going to help me get a taxi. But that's okay, I can do it tomorrow. And I can always get help from Saho or Yukari tomorrow, too.
So, tomorrow I'll try again to sell my bike back, dust off all my stuff in my room so it's ready for inspection, and run the sweeper. I'm to meet Saho for lunch at 11:30 at school, and I'll chill there until my 2:30 exam. The final shouldn't take more than an hour, tops, so I've got free time after that. At 4:30 I'm meeting Yukari, and we're going to hang out until 6:00, at which point I'm coming back to the dorm. At 7:40 Otōsan comes to inspect my room and give me the go-ahead to check out. Then I plan to take a final shower, and nap until about 2 or 3AM. The taxi should come at 4AM to take Mariah and me to the airport. At least, that's the plan. We shall see.
In any case, I'm feeling much better about things than I was earlier, because if nothing else I know all my stuff will fit in my luggage. And now I'm going to shower and go to bed, because I am so drained right now it's not funny.
Grrr
It's only 1:30PM, but today has not been going as planned. I enjoyed talking to my family on Skype this morning, but after that things have been downhill.
I went to go sell my bike back, and on the way discovered that Sachi hadn't opened for lunch, so I couldn't get my okonomiyaki there. And when I arrived at the bike shop, it was closed too. So I rode to another bike shop farther away. They said that they didn't buy used bikes, so that was a useless trip. So I just had to come home, and I got some take-out okonomiyaki for lunch. I still have my bike now; I'll try to sell it back tomorrow, and if that doesn't work, I guess I'll just have to recycle it.
Then I got to talk to David on Skype, which was really nice, and he's doing well. But I found out that I won't be able to see him until after New Year's, it seems. He offered to come meet me at the airport and visit for a day or two after that, but I think I'll be way too jet lagged to be any fun and I don't know that my family would want to share, so we're not going to do that. Our original plan had been for him to visit from the day after Christmas until the 30th, but now that won't work out, either. His family has changed their plans to be in Virginia at that time, so no visit then. His mom invited me to spend New Year's Eve with them in Columbus, but I've already got plans to be at Alex's party, so that's a no go. I guess he'll come sometime the week of New Year's. That'll be nice, but I have a bunch of doctor's appointments and errands to run that week, so I'm not sure how it'll work out. It's really frustrating. I hate having to change my plans, especially this one. I had been looking forward so much to seeing him soon. Oh well. It's already been since August; what's another two weeks?
Anyway, I'm not a happy camper at the moment. I'm gonna take a nap to try to sleep it off. ;_; apsdoiwvn I'm so mad!
I went to go sell my bike back, and on the way discovered that Sachi hadn't opened for lunch, so I couldn't get my okonomiyaki there. And when I arrived at the bike shop, it was closed too. So I rode to another bike shop farther away. They said that they didn't buy used bikes, so that was a useless trip. So I just had to come home, and I got some take-out okonomiyaki for lunch. I still have my bike now; I'll try to sell it back tomorrow, and if that doesn't work, I guess I'll just have to recycle it.
Then I got to talk to David on Skype, which was really nice, and he's doing well. But I found out that I won't be able to see him until after New Year's, it seems. He offered to come meet me at the airport and visit for a day or two after that, but I think I'll be way too jet lagged to be any fun and I don't know that my family would want to share, so we're not going to do that. Our original plan had been for him to visit from the day after Christmas until the 30th, but now that won't work out, either. His family has changed their plans to be in Virginia at that time, so no visit then. His mom invited me to spend New Year's Eve with them in Columbus, but I've already got plans to be at Alex's party, so that's a no go. I guess he'll come sometime the week of New Year's. That'll be nice, but I have a bunch of doctor's appointments and errands to run that week, so I'm not sure how it'll work out. It's really frustrating. I hate having to change my plans, especially this one. I had been looking forward so much to seeing him soon. Oh well. It's already been since August; what's another two weeks?
Anyway, I'm not a happy camper at the moment. I'm gonna take a nap to try to sleep it off. ;_; apsdoiwvn I'm so mad!
Final Plans
Mkay, it's midnight and I'm finally starting to feel a little sleepy. I took a nap today and woke up at 7PM, so my clock is a little off. But I'm not really concerned because I'll be so jet lagged out of my mind in a few days that it doesn't matter.
Today I had my art history exam, which went very well. I also turned in my psych paper, so I'm done with that class too. I cancelled my bicycle registration and got my $100 deposit back. This afternoon I also studied for Film and Lit class with Ayumi, which was a bit boring, to tell the truth, but now I've got all my studying done, so it's okay. She was very appreciative, too, and that made me feel good.
I have cleaned out all my foodstuffs except for supplies to make a last minute egg sandwich if needed. I've slowly been working on getting other things disposed of, too. I do have a lot of stuff. I really hope everything will fit into my luggage.
Tomorrow I have no exams or anything, so here's the plan:
Get up early to Skype with my family, then David
Sell back my bike
Eat one last okonomiyaki at Sachi for lunch
Nap
Pack
Go to Sweets Paradise at Shinsaibashi with Melissa, Daniel, etc. and pig out
Pack some more/organize
Shower
Bed
So tomorrow should be pretty sweet.
Today I had my art history exam, which went very well. I also turned in my psych paper, so I'm done with that class too. I cancelled my bicycle registration and got my $100 deposit back. This afternoon I also studied for Film and Lit class with Ayumi, which was a bit boring, to tell the truth, but now I've got all my studying done, so it's okay. She was very appreciative, too, and that made me feel good.
I have cleaned out all my foodstuffs except for supplies to make a last minute egg sandwich if needed. I've slowly been working on getting other things disposed of, too. I do have a lot of stuff. I really hope everything will fit into my luggage.
Tomorrow I have no exams or anything, so here's the plan:
Get up early to Skype with my family, then David
Sell back my bike
Eat one last okonomiyaki at Sachi for lunch
Nap
Pack
Go to Sweets Paradise at Shinsaibashi with Melissa, Daniel, etc. and pig out
Pack some more/organize
Shower
Bed
So tomorrow should be pretty sweet.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Exams and Socialization Plans
This morning was my final exam for Spoken Japanese. I had been pretty worried about it, but I feel like it went really, really well. There are a few things I know I messed up, but overall it was much easier than I expected. And there were some sections that I know I aced. Yay! Well, I say that now; we'll see what the grade actually looks like. But I'm hopeful. Also today, we got the results of the oral part of the exam, and I got 27.5 out of 30--much better than I had hoped! So things are looking really good.
Tomorrow I have my art history exam, which will be a breeze, assuming I can get it into my skull that the Momoyama period came after the Muromachi period. And that I can remember the difference between Shubun, Sesshu, and Sesson. Really, though, studying for that exam has gone much better than anticipated.
Part of my problem is that when two words begin with the same letter, I often mix them up. I had a terrible time reading some of the Jane Austen books because so many characters have names that begin with the same letter. All this Shubun/Sesshu/Sesson/Sotatsu stuff really confuses me.
Before I go to bed tonight, I plan to finish my take-home essay exam for psychology. That would mean that I could turn it in tomorrow, well before the Thursday due date, and I wouldn't have to go to campus at all on Thursday. Thursday, I think, will be a day of packing and tying up loose ends. I need to sell back my bicycle, for instance. So many little things to do.
This afternoon I got to talk on Skype with Alex and Cara for quite a while! It was a lot of fun. Except we mostly talked about how Navy sonar confuses whales, and the legal and environmental ramifications. Debbie Downer, right? But hey, talking about dying whales with friends is better than talking about chocolate cake with people you don't really like, I guess. ^_^ Anyway, it was nice to talk to them.
I'm so excited to go home and see my friends over the break. I think Nikki is going to come visit me soon after I get home. She's practically family anyway, so I told her she could just come into my room and wake me up whenever she wants to visit, because I expect I'll be sleeping off the jet lag for the first few days. I'm supposed to go on a nice dinner date with Cara, with Derby pie to follow. Erin and I are thinking of getting facials. It'll be good to be home.
And for New Year's Eve, Alex has invited me to her house for a party with crafts included! Her parties are always the best; I can't wait. At past events, we have roasted marshmallows, baked cakes, and whacked the living daylights out of a multicolored piñata shaped like a bull. (That last one was my favorite.) I'm already trying to think of where I have put my leftover acrylic paint from Art 101 so I can contribute to the craft supplies. I'm not sure what we're making--the mystery is part of the fun--but I'm confident that a good time will be had by all.
Okay, now to finish this psych exam. Almost done; almost home!
Tomorrow I have my art history exam, which will be a breeze, assuming I can get it into my skull that the Momoyama period came after the Muromachi period. And that I can remember the difference between Shubun, Sesshu, and Sesson. Really, though, studying for that exam has gone much better than anticipated.
Part of my problem is that when two words begin with the same letter, I often mix them up. I had a terrible time reading some of the Jane Austen books because so many characters have names that begin with the same letter. All this Shubun/Sesshu/Sesson/Sotatsu stuff really confuses me.
Before I go to bed tonight, I plan to finish my take-home essay exam for psychology. That would mean that I could turn it in tomorrow, well before the Thursday due date, and I wouldn't have to go to campus at all on Thursday. Thursday, I think, will be a day of packing and tying up loose ends. I need to sell back my bicycle, for instance. So many little things to do.
This afternoon I got to talk on Skype with Alex and Cara for quite a while! It was a lot of fun. Except we mostly talked about how Navy sonar confuses whales, and the legal and environmental ramifications. Debbie Downer, right? But hey, talking about dying whales with friends is better than talking about chocolate cake with people you don't really like, I guess. ^_^ Anyway, it was nice to talk to them.
I'm so excited to go home and see my friends over the break. I think Nikki is going to come visit me soon after I get home. She's practically family anyway, so I told her she could just come into my room and wake me up whenever she wants to visit, because I expect I'll be sleeping off the jet lag for the first few days. I'm supposed to go on a nice dinner date with Cara, with Derby pie to follow. Erin and I are thinking of getting facials. It'll be good to be home.
And for New Year's Eve, Alex has invited me to her house for a party with crafts included! Her parties are always the best; I can't wait. At past events, we have roasted marshmallows, baked cakes, and whacked the living daylights out of a multicolored piñata shaped like a bull. (That last one was my favorite.) I'm already trying to think of where I have put my leftover acrylic paint from Art 101 so I can contribute to the craft supplies. I'm not sure what we're making--the mystery is part of the fun--but I'm confident that a good time will be had by all.
Okay, now to finish this psych exam. Almost done; almost home!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Observations and Other Things
- The other day I saw a blimp, but somehow I forgot to mention it. I was coming out of class and heading for the bicycle parking lot, walking across the green sand ball courts, when I looked up and saw a big white blimp flying away from me. I couldn't see the side of it, so I don't know what it was advertising. But it was super exciting! Blimps always remind me of Derby. I have this great memory of playing outside in the back yard with Grandma, probably on Oaks Day, and we were watching for the Shamu blimp to fly over. Good times.
- Today I found a ¥1 coin on the ground, and I relized that it was the first money I have found here. For being a totally cash-based country, people sure don't drop their coins. Or at least, they don't leave them on the ground.
- You know how most Americans pull into a parking space? How we drive in and back out? It's the opposite here. People always seem to back into parking spaces, and then pull out forward. Interesting.
- On Saturday when I was coming back from Osaka, I saw my first Japanese soldier in uniform. (At least, I think he was a soldier; some of the security guard uniforms are really elaborate.) Are they called soldiers? I'm not sure, because technically Japan doesn't have a military. So if soldiers make up a military, who constitues the Self-Defense Force? Anyway, I had noticed the lack of Self-Defense Force people in uniform, because at home it's not uncommon to see uniformed people at the mall or whatnot. But that doesn't seem to happen here.
- Do the flowers ever die here? It's gotten to about freezing a couple of nights, but apparently there's been no killing frost. The geraniums are still going strong. And you should see the roses! It's ridiculous. If they have flowers like this year-round, I'm not really sure what all the fuss about the cherry blossoms is; you'd think they'd be used to it.
- The trees still have their leaves, too. The mountains are really pretty in the distance because of the fall colors. Is this as bad as winter gets here? Surely not.
Today I had my final for reading/writing, and I think it went really well. Tomorrow morning is my speaking final, which will be pretty brutal. I'm okay on the keigo, but I don't know my vocab, and I'm terrible--really, really bad--with passive, causative, and causative-passive constructions. But I'm not too terribly concerned; I've got an A in the class right now, and it's not like this semester impacts my GPA or anything, so whatever.
This evening I met up with Saho on campus, and she gave me a really nice bag full of parting gifts. I got chocolates, a New Year's wall hanging, chopsticks, two chopsticks rests, and a chopsticks box. The chopsticks are my favorite. I was born in the year of the dragon, so Saho found me dragon chopsticks! Except it's not a dragon like we think of--it's a seahorse! Seahorses are called "dragons" in Japanese. So now I have chopsticks with cute little red seahorses on them. It was very thoughtful.
Today was my last linen exchange day here, and my last medicine refill day. I have started sorting through things to throw away so I can pack fairly quickly.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Last Sunday in Japan
Well, it's less than a week to go, and I can't wait. Today I started throwing away small things that I won't need anymore, like a used cookie tin. Exciting!
I also have been studying all day. (By all day I mean since 12:30 when I woke up, and not counting lunch or supper or my nap.) Seriously, though, I've been really productive. I made all my art history flash cards and I studied a fair amount for my writing exam in the morning. Really, I'm not concerned about tomorrow's test.
I'm so hungry. Really, really hungry. But I only have two eggs, butter, okonomiyaki sauce, pepper, creamer, fish-flavored powder, sugar, olive oil, and three packs of noodles. Not a whole lot you can do with just that. I've eaten everything else. Tomorrow I'll swing by the store and get some bread so I can at least make a sandwich out of the eggs. But I'm trying not to overbuy because I get to COME HOME soon.
I decided to walk to the liquor store around the corner this evening to buy some cookies, but they were closed because it is Sunday. I hadn't thought of that, and I was very disappointed standing outside in the cold wanting my Oreos. So I didn't get cookies. It was too cold at the time to bike to the convenience stores farther away, so I fried up a pack of tater tots I found in the freezer. I've been wondering for a couple of months if they were mine. Normally I write my name on my stuff but sometimes I forget, and no one else has expressed any interest in them, so by the hunger vested in me they became mine. They were delicious. But I'm still hungry.
My schedule this week is so weird as far as when my exams are. Kinda nice, though, to have some variety.
I also have been studying all day. (By all day I mean since 12:30 when I woke up, and not counting lunch or supper or my nap.) Seriously, though, I've been really productive. I made all my art history flash cards and I studied a fair amount for my writing exam in the morning. Really, I'm not concerned about tomorrow's test.
I'm so hungry. Really, really hungry. But I only have two eggs, butter, okonomiyaki sauce, pepper, creamer, fish-flavored powder, sugar, olive oil, and three packs of noodles. Not a whole lot you can do with just that. I've eaten everything else. Tomorrow I'll swing by the store and get some bread so I can at least make a sandwich out of the eggs. But I'm trying not to overbuy because I get to COME HOME soon.
I decided to walk to the liquor store around the corner this evening to buy some cookies, but they were closed because it is Sunday. I hadn't thought of that, and I was very disappointed standing outside in the cold wanting my Oreos. So I didn't get cookies. It was too cold at the time to bike to the convenience stores farther away, so I fried up a pack of tater tots I found in the freezer. I've been wondering for a couple of months if they were mine. Normally I write my name on my stuff but sometimes I forget, and no one else has expressed any interest in them, so by the hunger vested in me they became mine. They were delicious. But I'm still hungry.
My schedule this week is so weird as far as when my exams are. Kinda nice, though, to have some variety.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Umeda Sky Building
Oh my gosh I am so tired out from the day it’s not even funny.
I slept in until 11:30, which was glorious. I got up, showered, walked to school, bought some tape so I can make my art history flash cards, and ate lunch while I studied for my art exam on Wednesday. At 2:00 I met Saho at the CIE, and we walked to Hirakatashi-eki. Thank goodness the weather was beautiful today—sunny and in the high 50s—because I did so much outdoor walking today!
We took the train to Shinsaibashi and did some shopping there. I really like that place; it’s the third time I’ve been, and each time I’ve been amazed by something. This time, on the main bridge, there was a wonderful mix of people. There were all the regular shoppers, and of course Glico Man triumphant in the background. There was also a street musician with a didgeridoo, and a bunch of monks out begging. One of the monks had a digital camera and was taking pictures of his colleagues as they stood there with their little bowls. Super cool.
We stopped at a little cake shop in the area, too, which was fun. It had this neat rustic French theme going on, so I felt like I was in Beauty and the Beast. Anyway, I got something called “Shortcake New York Cut,” which was a really nice strawberry and whipped cream concoction with some chocolate cake. I have always heard that Japanese desserts are lousy, and I can understand where that idea got started. It looked totally decadent, but it tasted like some low-sugar, low-calorie, sawdust-instead-of-butter dessert we’d have in the States. It was still good, just needed some more sugar. Of course, being from Kentucky, if it’s not fried, chocolate, and covered in salt and sugar I don’t think it’s worth eating. Anyway, I was pretty impressed; it was tasty without being overpowering. Verdict on Japanese cake: meh. (Note that the small sample size of 1 may have impacted the survey’s outcome.)
After the cake, we were off to the Umeda Sky Building. We got a little lost and wandered around Umeda for a while trying to get oriented, but eventually we found our way. In the plaza at the building’s base, they were having this big Christmas festival, and the theme was Germany. There were all these booths set up selling German foods and trinkets, and there were a lot of German people there. Also, there was a big Christmas tree with lights and everything, and a stage in front of it where there were performers.
Anyway, we paid our 700yen entrance fee to the building. First we walked across this glass walkway three stories up, so you could look down and see all the people walking around looking at the booths and all. Then we got into the glass elevator that took us to the 35th floor; the ride up was way cool, and we went so fast it made my ears hurt from the pressure changes. At this point it was about 5:30 and the sun had gone down, so the city lights were pretty. After the 35th floor, we took an escalator up to the observation area. It’s hard to describe the escalator, but it was glassed in and took us diagonally from one part of the building to the other so we were suspended in midair. Way cool, anyway. At this point I’m not sure how far up we were, but there was a restaurant and all these chairs in front of huge windows so you could look out on the city. There were even these elevated booths that couples seem to like, and there was sort of a museum-like display of the forerunners of the Sky Building. It included everything from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the ruins at Tikal to the Empire State Building.
The best part, though, was the open air observation deck. It’s a circular platform stuck between the two legs of the building, and there’s paint splattered on the floor and black lights to illuminate it, so it looks like you’re standing on stars. And you can just walk around and look at the lights for as long as you want, and they were playing Christmas music. It was so neat. Absolutely amazing, though, was the moon. The sky was overcast, so you couldn’t tell where the mountains surrounding the city started and the sky stopped. Except we arrived just in time to see a bit of orange peek out over one of the mountaintops in the east, and that part of the sky cleared just enough to see the full moon rise over the mountain. It was absolutely amazing. We stayed up there for quite a while looking at all the lights and buildings and people. I especially liked the trains; they look like little centipedes running through the city.
It was so, so cool getting to see Osaka from above, and I’m glad that I went just before I’m leaving. It put me in a sentimental mood, especially watching the planes take off and fly away over the mountains. But all the Christmas music and lovey-dovey couples made me really want to go home, too. Anyway, if you’re ever looking for a great date spot in Osaka, go to the Umeda Sky Building at night.
At that point we were hungry, so we took the escalator and elevator and walkway down to the ground level. This part of the building contains a lot of restaurants, which would be ho-hum except that it’s been decorated to look like a Showa Period street. It’s so cool! There are all these wooden buildings with tile roofs along narrow streets, and power lines going across above you, and there are even details like an old bicycle left leaning up against a tool shed, and a pump well like the one in Totoro. If you’ve ever been to the New York, New York casino in Las Vegas, you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about, although this was much, much better than that casino. New York New York is totally overwhelming and claustrophobic, but this was just cool. We stopped to eat in one of the restaurants, and I had some shrimp tempura ramen in soy-based sauce with brown rice and carrots and shiitake mushrooms. Yum!
Before we left, we walked around the plaza a bit and looked at all the things for sale. Santa Claus was there, and we took our picture with him. Also, there were two bands that we stopped to watch. The first was a group of salarymen from the Sky Building who had a Beatles tribute band, which was awesome! I mean, they weren’t that good at all, but they were a blast to watch, and it was so cool hearing the Beatles in Japan. The next group was just bizarre; it was a Dixieland quintet, and I’ve never seen anything so strange. They were dressed in these old-timey clothes, and the leader sang the Japanese lyrics with a very strong south Alabama accent (“uh-shee-tuh gah ah-rrrroo”). Weird! Their mannerisms were over the top, and they played twangy tunes with silly lyrics. Basically, it was a minstrel show, and if I hadn’t been so perplexed by the whole experience I probably would have been offended because really the only thing they were missing was the paint for blackface. Anyway, there was this group of little kids, probably ranging from ages three to six, who were standing directly in front of the stage and dancing wildly to the music of both groups. Saho and I just stood there and laughed hysterically at them for minutes. At one point two boys were attempting to breakdance, and later on they were leading a sort of patty-cake game to the beat of the music. The whole thing was a total blast.
Saho gave me a cute little cell phone charm of Hello Kitty at the Umeda Sky Building, which I thought was very sweet. It’s now hanging on my purse until I get back to my cell phone at home. She also called her house and let me talk to her family members to say goodbye. They were so nice to me; I’m going to send them a really nice letter once I get settled back at home.
I didn’t get a seat on the trains or on the bus on the way home, and after so, so much walking today my feet are completely killing me, and I’m about to fall asleep as I write this. I treated myself to a Snickers bar when I got home, because chocolate is a cure for everything. And now it's time for bed.
Seven days. (Geez, I feel like Frank from Donnie Darko.)
I slept in until 11:30, which was glorious. I got up, showered, walked to school, bought some tape so I can make my art history flash cards, and ate lunch while I studied for my art exam on Wednesday. At 2:00 I met Saho at the CIE, and we walked to Hirakatashi-eki. Thank goodness the weather was beautiful today—sunny and in the high 50s—because I did so much outdoor walking today!
We took the train to Shinsaibashi and did some shopping there. I really like that place; it’s the third time I’ve been, and each time I’ve been amazed by something. This time, on the main bridge, there was a wonderful mix of people. There were all the regular shoppers, and of course Glico Man triumphant in the background. There was also a street musician with a didgeridoo, and a bunch of monks out begging. One of the monks had a digital camera and was taking pictures of his colleagues as they stood there with their little bowls. Super cool.
We stopped at a little cake shop in the area, too, which was fun. It had this neat rustic French theme going on, so I felt like I was in Beauty and the Beast. Anyway, I got something called “Shortcake New York Cut,” which was a really nice strawberry and whipped cream concoction with some chocolate cake. I have always heard that Japanese desserts are lousy, and I can understand where that idea got started. It looked totally decadent, but it tasted like some low-sugar, low-calorie, sawdust-instead-of-butter dessert we’d have in the States. It was still good, just needed some more sugar. Of course, being from Kentucky, if it’s not fried, chocolate, and covered in salt and sugar I don’t think it’s worth eating. Anyway, I was pretty impressed; it was tasty without being overpowering. Verdict on Japanese cake: meh. (Note that the small sample size of 1 may have impacted the survey’s outcome.)
After the cake, we were off to the Umeda Sky Building. We got a little lost and wandered around Umeda for a while trying to get oriented, but eventually we found our way. In the plaza at the building’s base, they were having this big Christmas festival, and the theme was Germany. There were all these booths set up selling German foods and trinkets, and there were a lot of German people there. Also, there was a big Christmas tree with lights and everything, and a stage in front of it where there were performers.
Anyway, we paid our 700yen entrance fee to the building. First we walked across this glass walkway three stories up, so you could look down and see all the people walking around looking at the booths and all. Then we got into the glass elevator that took us to the 35th floor; the ride up was way cool, and we went so fast it made my ears hurt from the pressure changes. At this point it was about 5:30 and the sun had gone down, so the city lights were pretty. After the 35th floor, we took an escalator up to the observation area. It’s hard to describe the escalator, but it was glassed in and took us diagonally from one part of the building to the other so we were suspended in midair. Way cool, anyway. At this point I’m not sure how far up we were, but there was a restaurant and all these chairs in front of huge windows so you could look out on the city. There were even these elevated booths that couples seem to like, and there was sort of a museum-like display of the forerunners of the Sky Building. It included everything from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the ruins at Tikal to the Empire State Building.
The best part, though, was the open air observation deck. It’s a circular platform stuck between the two legs of the building, and there’s paint splattered on the floor and black lights to illuminate it, so it looks like you’re standing on stars. And you can just walk around and look at the lights for as long as you want, and they were playing Christmas music. It was so neat. Absolutely amazing, though, was the moon. The sky was overcast, so you couldn’t tell where the mountains surrounding the city started and the sky stopped. Except we arrived just in time to see a bit of orange peek out over one of the mountaintops in the east, and that part of the sky cleared just enough to see the full moon rise over the mountain. It was absolutely amazing. We stayed up there for quite a while looking at all the lights and buildings and people. I especially liked the trains; they look like little centipedes running through the city.
It was so, so cool getting to see Osaka from above, and I’m glad that I went just before I’m leaving. It put me in a sentimental mood, especially watching the planes take off and fly away over the mountains. But all the Christmas music and lovey-dovey couples made me really want to go home, too. Anyway, if you’re ever looking for a great date spot in Osaka, go to the Umeda Sky Building at night.
At that point we were hungry, so we took the escalator and elevator and walkway down to the ground level. This part of the building contains a lot of restaurants, which would be ho-hum except that it’s been decorated to look like a Showa Period street. It’s so cool! There are all these wooden buildings with tile roofs along narrow streets, and power lines going across above you, and there are even details like an old bicycle left leaning up against a tool shed, and a pump well like the one in Totoro. If you’ve ever been to the New York, New York casino in Las Vegas, you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about, although this was much, much better than that casino. New York New York is totally overwhelming and claustrophobic, but this was just cool. We stopped to eat in one of the restaurants, and I had some shrimp tempura ramen in soy-based sauce with brown rice and carrots and shiitake mushrooms. Yum!
Before we left, we walked around the plaza a bit and looked at all the things for sale. Santa Claus was there, and we took our picture with him. Also, there were two bands that we stopped to watch. The first was a group of salarymen from the Sky Building who had a Beatles tribute band, which was awesome! I mean, they weren’t that good at all, but they were a blast to watch, and it was so cool hearing the Beatles in Japan. The next group was just bizarre; it was a Dixieland quintet, and I’ve never seen anything so strange. They were dressed in these old-timey clothes, and the leader sang the Japanese lyrics with a very strong south Alabama accent (“uh-shee-tuh gah ah-rrrroo”). Weird! Their mannerisms were over the top, and they played twangy tunes with silly lyrics. Basically, it was a minstrel show, and if I hadn’t been so perplexed by the whole experience I probably would have been offended because really the only thing they were missing was the paint for blackface. Anyway, there was this group of little kids, probably ranging from ages three to six, who were standing directly in front of the stage and dancing wildly to the music of both groups. Saho and I just stood there and laughed hysterically at them for minutes. At one point two boys were attempting to breakdance, and later on they were leading a sort of patty-cake game to the beat of the music. The whole thing was a total blast.
Saho gave me a cute little cell phone charm of Hello Kitty at the Umeda Sky Building, which I thought was very sweet. It’s now hanging on my purse until I get back to my cell phone at home. She also called her house and let me talk to her family members to say goodbye. They were so nice to me; I’m going to send them a really nice letter once I get settled back at home.
I didn’t get a seat on the trains or on the bus on the way home, and after so, so much walking today my feet are completely killing me, and I’m about to fall asleep as I write this. I treated myself to a Snickers bar when I got home, because chocolate is a cure for everything. And now it's time for bed.
Seven days. (Geez, I feel like Frank from Donnie Darko.)
Friday, December 12, 2008
Last Day of Classes
Today was really nice. I slept in, did some laundry, and chatted with Alex and David because I didn't have any morning classes today. Art history was mainly a review, and in Film and Lit we finished watching Fear and Trembling, and I've decided that it's a really good movie. I think I'll try to find it in the States; it's a movie I would watch many times. I ate a really late (4PM) lunch of curry before heading home and napping. The evening has been low-key, with a grilled cheese sandwich and lots of computer solitaire.
Tomorrow I'm going to Osaka with Saho, my homevisit partner. It should be nice. I really should be studying a lot this weekend, but at the moment my motivation is nil. Meh, it'll get done. The only test I'm worried about at all is my speaking test on Tuesday. Other than that, it should be a breeze.
Not much to say today, sorry.
Tomorrow I'm going to Osaka with Saho, my homevisit partner. It should be nice. I really should be studying a lot this weekend, but at the moment my motivation is nil. Meh, it'll get done. The only test I'm worried about at all is my speaking test on Tuesday. Other than that, it should be a breeze.
Not much to say today, sorry.
終わった！
I finished my paper a little after midnight, as planned. Tomorrow should be epically awesome--sleep in, have a Skype date with David, eat lunch with friends, go to my two favorite classes, and that's it! Yay!
I got an email from Saho asking if I wanted to do some sightseeing in Osaka on Saturday, so I think I'll do that. It'll be fun. I want to go to the Umeda Sky Building; I think that would be a nice way to end this trip.
I took a shower about an hour ago, and my hair is drying really nicely. Too bad I'm about to go sleep on it and smush it against my pillow and mess it up. Oh well; I'm very lucky in that my hair is super low-maintanence. And I think that I am, overall, super low-maintanence in general, so I'm not sure I'd care even if it needed a lot of styling. Okie dokie, it must be getting late: I just wrote about my hair. Goodnight, all.
I got an email from Saho asking if I wanted to do some sightseeing in Osaka on Saturday, so I think I'll do that. It'll be fun. I want to go to the Umeda Sky Building; I think that would be a nice way to end this trip.
I took a shower about an hour ago, and my hair is drying really nicely. Too bad I'm about to go sleep on it and smush it against my pillow and mess it up. Oh well; I'm very lucky in that my hair is super low-maintanence. And I think that I am, overall, super low-maintanence in general, so I'm not sure I'd care even if it needed a lot of styling. Okie dokie, it must be getting late: I just wrote about my hair. Goodnight, all.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Khaki Narrator and the Herd of Amorous Wildebeest
I'm taking a quick break from writing my Film and Lit essay to update.
Sometimes I love to write. It was unbearably painful to force myself to sit down and write this essay, but once the words start to come I have an absolute blast. I like trying to make things a little more interesting for the teacher. I love big words, but I also like to throw in the occasional Ridiculously Offbeat Statement to keep things light. In this essay, about how several films use animal imagery to dehumanize Japanese people--bit of a heavy subject, right?--I have just typed the following: "John Huston and the Japanese are as different as Khaki Narrator and the herd of amorous wildebeest." And that I why I love to write.
If I ever start a rock band, that would be our name, by the way. Khaki Narrator and the Herd of Amorous Wildebeest. Grammys, here we come!
Today I found someone to share a taxi with to go to the airport next Saturday! Yay! Now I'll only have to pay half of the exorbitant fare. I was so happy. And I have signed up for a time to have my room inspection for checkout. Things are winding down, and I can't wait.
This morning I had the oral portion of the final exam for my speaking class. The scenario was that I was going in for a job interview at a coffee shop. It didn't go as well as I had hoped, considering how much I had prepared for it. I just got in there and had a few times where I just stared at Sensei and was like "Um, what? Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to be saying something." It was one of those things. Oh well. I certainly didn't bomb, but I could have done much, much better.
An observation: Figure skating seems to be really popular here. Recently there was an important competition in Hokkaido, and it was all over the television. Also, there have been frequent news articles about figure skaters. It's strange for me to see figure skating news taking up as much newspaper space as football news. Cool, but weird.
Mkay, back to the salt mines. I'm trying to get this essay knocked out before midnight. We shall see. Two out of six pages down in the last hour, so things are looking good. Wish me luck.
Sometimes I love to write. It was unbearably painful to force myself to sit down and write this essay, but once the words start to come I have an absolute blast. I like trying to make things a little more interesting for the teacher. I love big words, but I also like to throw in the occasional Ridiculously Offbeat Statement to keep things light. In this essay, about how several films use animal imagery to dehumanize Japanese people--bit of a heavy subject, right?--I have just typed the following: "John Huston and the Japanese are as different as Khaki Narrator and the herd of amorous wildebeest." And that I why I love to write.
If I ever start a rock band, that would be our name, by the way. Khaki Narrator and the Herd of Amorous Wildebeest. Grammys, here we come!
Today I found someone to share a taxi with to go to the airport next Saturday! Yay! Now I'll only have to pay half of the exorbitant fare. I was so happy. And I have signed up for a time to have my room inspection for checkout. Things are winding down, and I can't wait.
This morning I had the oral portion of the final exam for my speaking class. The scenario was that I was going in for a job interview at a coffee shop. It didn't go as well as I had hoped, considering how much I had prepared for it. I just got in there and had a few times where I just stared at Sensei and was like "Um, what? Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to be saying something." It was one of those things. Oh well. I certainly didn't bomb, but I could have done much, much better.
An observation: Figure skating seems to be really popular here. Recently there was an important competition in Hokkaido, and it was all over the television. Also, there have been frequent news articles about figure skaters. It's strange for me to see figure skating news taking up as much newspaper space as football news. Cool, but weird.
Mkay, back to the salt mines. I'm trying to get this essay knocked out before midnight. We shall see. Two out of six pages down in the last hour, so things are looking good. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Filmmaking, Chocolate Nerds, and Ticket Machines
Today was nice and warm and sunny, which was nice. In speaking class, Japanese students came in and helped us prepare for our speaking exam tomorrow, so I'm feeling pretty confident about that. And I've had a good time chatting with friends today, too. So it's been a good day. Plus, I've made progress on my Film and Lit paper, and I finished my art paper.
I forgot to mention this and it happened like forever ago, but since I included it on my list of things I've done, I figure I should explain. Way back in September when I first went to Kyōto with the Japanese students to see Yasaka Jinja and Kiyomizudera, we were walking through a street in the eastern part of the city when we came across this camera crew. There were a man and woman on a motorcycle, and the cameras were filming them getting ready to drive downhill. Turns out they were Thai movie stars making a film. Go figure.
There's a kind of candy here called Walky-Walky. I have never tried it, because who names a candy something silly like "Walky-Walky" if it's delicious? But my friend Daniel assures me that they are amazing and are like chocolate Nerds. So, David, I think, in honor of your love of Nerds (which, by the way, you have spilled all over my car), I will try some Walky-Walky and bring it back for you if it really is good.
When I was coming back from Osaka last weekend, I was standing at the ticket vending machine at one of the stations buying my ticket. There was an old lady at the ticket machine next to me, and as I was turning to leave, she asked me for help. ^_^ It made me so happy! I mean, I was scared out of my mind because I knew I should be using keigo and stuff but I was too nervous. But I was able to tell her that that machine was card only, and to use coins she needed to use the machine I was at. After that I ran off. I was so excited, though, that a Japanese person had asked me for help! It made me proud. And she was an adorable little old lady.
I'm hungry, but I don't know why. I've eaten what I think should be enough, but my tummy feels empty. Strange. I'll wait it out; it's bedtime now anyway.
Today I started looking into baggage restrictions and stuff for my flight home. I still need to get a taxi, but I think I'll start investigating that tomorrow.
I forgot to mention this and it happened like forever ago, but since I included it on my list of things I've done, I figure I should explain. Way back in September when I first went to Kyōto with the Japanese students to see Yasaka Jinja and Kiyomizudera, we were walking through a street in the eastern part of the city when we came across this camera crew. There were a man and woman on a motorcycle, and the cameras were filming them getting ready to drive downhill. Turns out they were Thai movie stars making a film. Go figure.
There's a kind of candy here called Walky-Walky. I have never tried it, because who names a candy something silly like "Walky-Walky" if it's delicious? But my friend Daniel assures me that they are amazing and are like chocolate Nerds. So, David, I think, in honor of your love of Nerds (which, by the way, you have spilled all over my car), I will try some Walky-Walky and bring it back for you if it really is good.
When I was coming back from Osaka last weekend, I was standing at the ticket vending machine at one of the stations buying my ticket. There was an old lady at the ticket machine next to me, and as I was turning to leave, she asked me for help. ^_^ It made me so happy! I mean, I was scared out of my mind because I knew I should be using keigo and stuff but I was too nervous. But I was able to tell her that that machine was card only, and to use coins she needed to use the machine I was at. After that I ran off. I was so excited, though, that a Japanese person had asked me for help! It made me proud. And she was an adorable little old lady.
I'm hungry, but I don't know why. I've eaten what I think should be enough, but my tummy feels empty. Strange. I'll wait it out; it's bedtime now anyway.
Today I started looking into baggage restrictions and stuff for my flight home. I still need to get a taxi, but I think I'll start investigating that tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
"Just 2 more weeks until you feel brilliant again"--Mom
Today was considerably better than yesterday, which is funny, because as I was riding my bike to school I passed a Japanese student whose jeans (yes, jeans--I don't think American pants talk to us; usually we leave that to witty t-shirts) said "Today will be a better day." Apparently Japanese blue jeans don't lie.
This was my last regular Tuesday, for which I am grateful. Tuesdays are always long, as a feel the need to mention every week. Sorry, I get really repetitive, I know. My Japanese classes are winding down, which is good; if I had to learn one more verb form I think my head would pop. In reading/writing today we played a Jeopardy-like game, which my team lost miserably, although it was fun.
After class I found out that a good friend and his girlfriend of about two years have split up, so that was a bit of a downer. (;_;)
I thoroughly enjoyed lunch today. I got the really good curry rice from the round cafeteria. I like to sit up on the second floor and look at the garden outside and read while I eat, and that's what I did today. It was nice. I wish the thing I was reading hadn't been research on the life of Ogata Kōrin, but what are you gonna do?
Psychology today was pretty boring. I've just lost interest. In Film and Lit, though, we watched a French comedy that I really, really enjoyed called Fear and Trembling. It's a hilarious movie about a young Belgian woman who goes to work for a Japanese corporation as a translator and through a series of mistakes works her way down the corporate ladder to the position of bathroom attendant. I can relate. After class, Dr. Hollstein asked me to help one of my classmates study for the final exam because she's having trouble with the English. That made me happy, that now I have something to do to help somebody else, and that he thought to ask me to do it.
I've got two big final papers due on Friday, and I haven't started really writing either one, although today I got a good pre-writing start on both. I stopped by the library this morning to get books on the Rimpa school for art history, where I'm writing a paper on Red and White Plum Blossoms. I also went to the language lab to watch Rising Sun for my Film and Lit paper, although I didn't get to finish viewing it before the lab closed. I'll continue watching tomorrow morning.
I'm really not looking forward to doing the papers; they shouldn't be bad, really, but I'm totally uninspired. My only exciting thing is the title for the Film and Lit paper: "Wesley and Sean Go On Safari: Rising Sun, Animal Behavior, and Dehumanizing the Japanese." I thought that was clever; I like fun titles. Now if I can just squeeze seven pages out of that. Luckily, the art paper is only three to four pages, so I can probably BS my way through it to a large degree, especially because we can include a section on our opinions. Not that I would ever slack on a paper. I am a good student and always try my hardest. Except when it's the end of the semester and I want to go home and I don't feel like writing. ::headdesk::
One year ago today I made it official with David on Facebook, so I consider this our first anniversary of being together. (^_^) That makes me happy. We'll have to go on a nice celebration date when I get home; the Skype dates are nice, but they just don't cut it for a big event like this.
This was my last regular Tuesday, for which I am grateful. Tuesdays are always long, as a feel the need to mention every week. Sorry, I get really repetitive, I know. My Japanese classes are winding down, which is good; if I had to learn one more verb form I think my head would pop. In reading/writing today we played a Jeopardy-like game, which my team lost miserably, although it was fun.
After class I found out that a good friend and his girlfriend of about two years have split up, so that was a bit of a downer. (;_;)
I thoroughly enjoyed lunch today. I got the really good curry rice from the round cafeteria. I like to sit up on the second floor and look at the garden outside and read while I eat, and that's what I did today. It was nice. I wish the thing I was reading hadn't been research on the life of Ogata Kōrin, but what are you gonna do?
Psychology today was pretty boring. I've just lost interest. In Film and Lit, though, we watched a French comedy that I really, really enjoyed called Fear and Trembling. It's a hilarious movie about a young Belgian woman who goes to work for a Japanese corporation as a translator and through a series of mistakes works her way down the corporate ladder to the position of bathroom attendant. I can relate. After class, Dr. Hollstein asked me to help one of my classmates study for the final exam because she's having trouble with the English. That made me happy, that now I have something to do to help somebody else, and that he thought to ask me to do it.
I've got two big final papers due on Friday, and I haven't started really writing either one, although today I got a good pre-writing start on both. I stopped by the library this morning to get books on the Rimpa school for art history, where I'm writing a paper on Red and White Plum Blossoms. I also went to the language lab to watch Rising Sun for my Film and Lit paper, although I didn't get to finish viewing it before the lab closed. I'll continue watching tomorrow morning.
I'm really not looking forward to doing the papers; they shouldn't be bad, really, but I'm totally uninspired. My only exciting thing is the title for the Film and Lit paper: "Wesley and Sean Go On Safari: Rising Sun, Animal Behavior, and Dehumanizing the Japanese." I thought that was clever; I like fun titles. Now if I can just squeeze seven pages out of that. Luckily, the art paper is only three to four pages, so I can probably BS my way through it to a large degree, especially because we can include a section on our opinions. Not that I would ever slack on a paper. I am a good student and always try my hardest. Except when it's the end of the semester and I want to go home and I don't feel like writing. ::headdesk::
One year ago today I made it official with David on Facebook, so I consider this our first anniversary of being together. (^_^) That makes me happy. We'll have to go on a nice celebration date when I get home; the Skype dates are nice, but they just don't cut it for a big event like this.
Monday, December 8, 2008
"It's been a bad day, another bad day"
Today has downright sucked. It was cold this morning—really cold, frost cold. My legs were partially numb by the time I got to campus. At least it was sunny. And my kanji quiz went very well, I think.
I had an hour between my two classes this morning, so I decided to go grocery shopping during that time. But when I went to get my bike from the parking lot, I started having big trouble. I couldn’t get the kickstand to budge. I had been able to unlock the lock and wiggle the bike out of the crowded part of the parking lot so I could have room to work with it. But no matter how hard I pushed or pulled or leaned with all my weight, I simply could not get the kickstand up. I tried holding the kickstand still with my foot while I pushed as hard as I could against the handle bars. I flipped the bike over and tried pulling from another angle. I stood on the other side of the bike and tried the same things. I kicked the bike in several places and even punched the seat a little. I made grunting sounds like the ones tennis players make on TV as I pulled and pushed. For fifteen minutes I wrestled with that stupid kickstand. For fifteen minutes other students walked by, staring. Nobody offered to help; that bothered me.
Finally, one of the security guards came by; they occasionally patrol the parking lot to make sure Rude Bicycles don’t cause trouble or anything. The guard, thank goodness, asked if something was wrong. I said I couldn’t get the kickstand to move. (Well, I couldn’t say that in Japanese, but I think he got the point.) And then he gave me this look like “How incredibly dim are you?” He flipped this little switch contraption on the kickstand, and it was fixed. Apparently there was some sort of parking brake mechanism that I didn’t know the bike had, and I had accidentally put it on when I parked this morning. Yes, I spent fifteen minutes literally wrestling with an orange bicycle because I didn’t know its parking brake was on. At that point, I wasn’t even terribly happy that my bike now worked, I was just pissed off and embarrassed. I just looked at the security guard, who had this expression of, “Well, is that all?” and thanked him. It was all I could do to load my books into the basket and pedal off a bit before I burst into tears.
Everything I do here is humiliating. I’m really sick of it. I’m tired of being the tourist, the one who doesn’t understand, the fat American, the foreigner, the only girl not wearing makeup, the one no one will sit by on the train. (Really, you should watch how the train cars fill up; people stand before they take a seat next to me.) It’s not fun anymore. I want to go home.
I’m just not very good at living here, and I hate not being good at things. I don’t like feeling stupid, and Japan makes me feel stupid. Like, really stupid, all the time. Today I remembered that, back at home, I'm really smart--at least in the school sense--and that surprised me. I had forgotten that I am capable; that's not a good thing. I need to go home.
Anyway, I made it to the QQ and did my shopping, and quickly headed back to school for speaking class, which went well. I had a Skype date with David set for 12:15, so I grabbed some McDonald’s to eat at home after class. By this time I was feeling all tingly because of going in and out of the cold so much, but I just wanted to get home, basically.
But when I got online, David wasn’t there. I checked my email, and had a message from him asking if everything was okay, because he hadn’t heard from me in a long time. A long time? I emailed him last night! I have suspected this for a while now, but now I know: my Internet connection eats emails. It picks and chooses which emails of mine it wants to deliver. So I’m really sorry, but I may have been sending you emails all semester that you didn’t get. Apparently like none of the four or five emails I sent David last week arrived at their destination. That meant that he didn’t know that I was expecting to see him on Skype, so the date was off.
So now, in addition to having ridiculous parking brakes on bicycles, this place also sabotages communications with my boyfriend. AND tomorrow is our first anniversary, which it’s bad enough that I have to miss. Great. Just great. I totally lost it at that point, and frantically tried to get ahold of David using Skype, Skype Chat, meebo, email, and Facebook. I also tried to reach some of his fraternity brothers to see if they could go down the hall and find him for me, but that didn’t work. Luckily, I was able to contact Michael, David’s brother, via Facebook. I got Michael to call David and ask him to get online.
Finally, then, we got to talk on Skype. And that was good. Things are going well for him. I felt much better after our chat.
Well, that was the major trauma for the day; nothing else really terrible has happened. Oh, but last night I had a dream that I stabbed myself in the stomach with my vegetable knife. I still have two big papers due on Friday that I haven’t really started on. And tonight when I was cooking supper the kitchen was a total mess and all the small skillets were dirty because other people don’t do their dishes like they should, so I had to use a big skillet so my eggs didn’t cook as nicely as I wanted.
And that has been my bad day so far. Hopefully nothing else bad will happen. And in the grand scheme of things, nothing bad really did happen. I was delayed for a few minutes by the bike I could afford to buy to use to get to the conveniently close grocery that always has food and stable prices that I can also afford to pay. And then I had to wait a few minutes to talk to a fantastic guy who loves me from halfway around the world using amazing technology and a computer that I received as a gift. Oh, boo hoo. I guess I really can’t complain too much. At the end of the day, I’m warm and fed and safe; much better off than many people can say.
I’m going to go take a nice hot shower before I buckle down on the homework.
I had an hour between my two classes this morning, so I decided to go grocery shopping during that time. But when I went to get my bike from the parking lot, I started having big trouble. I couldn’t get the kickstand to budge. I had been able to unlock the lock and wiggle the bike out of the crowded part of the parking lot so I could have room to work with it. But no matter how hard I pushed or pulled or leaned with all my weight, I simply could not get the kickstand up. I tried holding the kickstand still with my foot while I pushed as hard as I could against the handle bars. I flipped the bike over and tried pulling from another angle. I stood on the other side of the bike and tried the same things. I kicked the bike in several places and even punched the seat a little. I made grunting sounds like the ones tennis players make on TV as I pulled and pushed. For fifteen minutes I wrestled with that stupid kickstand. For fifteen minutes other students walked by, staring. Nobody offered to help; that bothered me.
Finally, one of the security guards came by; they occasionally patrol the parking lot to make sure Rude Bicycles don’t cause trouble or anything. The guard, thank goodness, asked if something was wrong. I said I couldn’t get the kickstand to move. (Well, I couldn’t say that in Japanese, but I think he got the point.) And then he gave me this look like “How incredibly dim are you?” He flipped this little switch contraption on the kickstand, and it was fixed. Apparently there was some sort of parking brake mechanism that I didn’t know the bike had, and I had accidentally put it on when I parked this morning. Yes, I spent fifteen minutes literally wrestling with an orange bicycle because I didn’t know its parking brake was on. At that point, I wasn’t even terribly happy that my bike now worked, I was just pissed off and embarrassed. I just looked at the security guard, who had this expression of, “Well, is that all?” and thanked him. It was all I could do to load my books into the basket and pedal off a bit before I burst into tears.
Everything I do here is humiliating. I’m really sick of it. I’m tired of being the tourist, the one who doesn’t understand, the fat American, the foreigner, the only girl not wearing makeup, the one no one will sit by on the train. (Really, you should watch how the train cars fill up; people stand before they take a seat next to me.) It’s not fun anymore. I want to go home.
I’m just not very good at living here, and I hate not being good at things. I don’t like feeling stupid, and Japan makes me feel stupid. Like, really stupid, all the time. Today I remembered that, back at home, I'm really smart--at least in the school sense--and that surprised me. I had forgotten that I am capable; that's not a good thing. I need to go home.
Anyway, I made it to the QQ and did my shopping, and quickly headed back to school for speaking class, which went well. I had a Skype date with David set for 12:15, so I grabbed some McDonald’s to eat at home after class. By this time I was feeling all tingly because of going in and out of the cold so much, but I just wanted to get home, basically.
But when I got online, David wasn’t there. I checked my email, and had a message from him asking if everything was okay, because he hadn’t heard from me in a long time. A long time? I emailed him last night! I have suspected this for a while now, but now I know: my Internet connection eats emails. It picks and chooses which emails of mine it wants to deliver. So I’m really sorry, but I may have been sending you emails all semester that you didn’t get. Apparently like none of the four or five emails I sent David last week arrived at their destination. That meant that he didn’t know that I was expecting to see him on Skype, so the date was off.
So now, in addition to having ridiculous parking brakes on bicycles, this place also sabotages communications with my boyfriend. AND tomorrow is our first anniversary, which it’s bad enough that I have to miss. Great. Just great. I totally lost it at that point, and frantically tried to get ahold of David using Skype, Skype Chat, meebo, email, and Facebook. I also tried to reach some of his fraternity brothers to see if they could go down the hall and find him for me, but that didn’t work. Luckily, I was able to contact Michael, David’s brother, via Facebook. I got Michael to call David and ask him to get online.
Finally, then, we got to talk on Skype. And that was good. Things are going well for him. I felt much better after our chat.
Well, that was the major trauma for the day; nothing else really terrible has happened. Oh, but last night I had a dream that I stabbed myself in the stomach with my vegetable knife. I still have two big papers due on Friday that I haven’t really started on. And tonight when I was cooking supper the kitchen was a total mess and all the small skillets were dirty because other people don’t do their dishes like they should, so I had to use a big skillet so my eggs didn’t cook as nicely as I wanted.
And that has been my bad day so far. Hopefully nothing else bad will happen. And in the grand scheme of things, nothing bad really did happen. I was delayed for a few minutes by the bike I could afford to buy to use to get to the conveniently close grocery that always has food and stable prices that I can also afford to pay. And then I had to wait a few minutes to talk to a fantastic guy who loves me from halfway around the world using amazing technology and a computer that I received as a gift. Oh, boo hoo. I guess I really can’t complain too much. At the end of the day, I’m warm and fed and safe; much better off than many people can say.
I’m going to go take a nice hot shower before I buckle down on the homework.
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