Hello everyone,
Things here in the "Land of Tomorrow", as Zac puts it, are good. I'll tell you a little about my classes and my teachers since I officially have gone to all of my classes now.
There are 5 periods in a day, each period is 1 1/2 hours long with a 40 minute lunch break at 12:40. Classes don't start until 9:30 in Japan (I love the late morning starts!) so the last class ends at 6:10.
Everyday I have Japanese with a new teacher, so I have five Japanese teachers, all women. They only speak Japanese to me in the class so my listening skills are getting better. Each of them are very nice and patient. Some of them teach a little better then others and some of them are very relaxed and fun. It's difficult to say which ones because all of the week seems to blur together. Learning a second language is exhausting! As I get to know them better I'll tell you about them.
So Mondays: I have Japanese at 11:10 (second period) and then an 1 1/2 break during 3rd period. Then at 4th period, 3:00, I have Japanese Management. This class we're talking a lot about famous Japanese businesses that are very successful. The first day we talked about famous Japanese people we know. My teachers name is Mr. Miki. He's Japanese and was very happy that some of us knew a lot about Japan. Finally 5th period, at 4:40, I have Japanese Literature, which I'm very excited about. Only Dan (one of the Aussies) and I are taking this class. In walked our teacher, Mr. Herrick. He's a HUGE old white man. He was easily 6'4 and had to duck to get into the door way! His skin is very tan, piercing blue eyes, and yellow blonde hair. He is probably in his 50's, maybe even 60's and he's American. The scariest part was the fact that, since he's been living in Japan for 20 years, he's skinny like a Japanese person. This EXTREMELY tall man is as thin as a twig! Seriously, he made Trevor look fat! (No offense Cheba hehe) He speaks very softly and calmly. It was a little funny considering how big he is. He really stand out though. Dan and I both agreed that he's a little scary looking lol.
Tuesday I only have Japanese at 2nd period so it's an early day for me. I'm not sure what I'll do with all the free time. . .
Wednesday I have Japanese at 2nd period and then a 3 hour 40 minute break until my next class . . . it kind of stinks. I usually end up in the International Center for most of it and then the lunch room with everyone on their break. Finally, at 5th period at 4:40 I have Sogo Shosha. Sogo Shosha is a saying that describes a specific type of business in Japan, it's kind of confusing to explain. But overall these businesses, the Sogo Shosha, bring in A TON of money for Japan so they're a big deal. My teacher is a retired businessman from one of these companies. We will be having 8 different lecturers this semester he said, all retired businessmen. The class was . . . REALLY BORING! I'm not much of a business person but I was trying to enjoy it. Some of the statistics were impressive but overall the class dragged on . . . I hope it gets better.
Thursday I have Japanese Affairs 1st period (my only early day) with Mr. Tamburini. He's a half Japanese half Italian guy who has worked as an interpreter in the US so his English is PERFECT! He doesn't even have a Japanese accent. His first name is Dino and he's really funny. In this class we've talked about the culture of Japan and it's differences to our own cultures. I really like this class, it's one of my favorites. Then I have another 3 hour 40 minute break (it happens to me twice in a week) until Japanese class at 4th period.
Friday I have all three classes in a row, from 2nd period to 4th so it goes quickly. First I have Japanese Science Fiction with Dennis, the French dude. That class is fun. Then I have Japanese History, Customs, and Culture. Last week it was canceled so yesterday our teacher arrived. . .20 minutes late. She's a large black woman that's British. She immediately started telling us about her personal heartaches, mainly she has a broken neck. She told us about the accident and how she's too frightened to have surgery because she might become paralyzed. Originally I was really excited about this class but now I'm not so sure. We spent most of the class talking about what she hates about Japan. Basically if anything bad happened to her she immediately stated it as if that's just how foreigners are treated in Japan by the Japanese. . . it kind of got on my nerves. Not to mention the fact that we then started talking about how women get groped on full trains, which I knew about. But she got into it REALLY deep and told about. . . you know what, I won't repeat it but lets just say I was physically ill. More or less she made it seem as if this experience she went through was standard dealings with Japanese teenagers and their mothers. I'm worried that the class that is supposed to be about Japanese History is going to turn into a grip fest about her horrible experiences in Japan, which apparently she's had plenty of. I hope I'm wrong though.
So that's my school week. 7 classes, not too bad :)
Personally I'm doing really well :) I'm making better friends with everyone and I think I know who my favorite people will be here from the other International Students. The other day Xay, the British Chinese boy, offered to buy me lunch. I felt so bad about it that I tried to pick something less expensive. He complained and made me order something bigger. So we had lunch together for a short while until the others got out of class. When I told my host parents about it they called it "the first date" which I assured them it wasn't. Xay is just a ladies man hehe. He's always being extra sweet to both Sarah and I, despite the fact that she has a boyfriend and I've more or less been red flagged by all the guys because I'm religious. He told me that he's a heart fixer and I insisted that that's a nice way of saying he takes advantage of girls when they're most vulnerable. He complained that I made it sound so bad. I think he likes that I don't believe all his romantic attempts on me. But he did threaten to "break through" all my religious barriers over the next four months. He said that before I leave I'll be drinking and smoking. I accepted his challenge, so he gave up pretty quickly.
Sarah and I get along so well! She's absolutely wonderful. The other day Ismail, the boy from Morocco, insulted me in Japanese thinking I wouldn't understand. He told some of the students that I can't speak any Japanese, in a really rude way. Sarah jumped all over him and told me that's not true. She then asked me to leave with her, so we did. She's really sweet. The next day I talked to Ismail about it and he apologized. He thanked me for being so blunt about it and straight forward and promised he would try better to not compare everyone to him, as learning a language is not a competition.
Louis, the French guy, is also a lot of fun. He is ALWAYS picking on me, since I'm American. But when it comes down to it, when we're both calm we can sit and have a really good conversation without being mean to each other. Last night we all went out and he greeted me with two kisses, one on each cheek, before recalling that he's not in France anymore lol. So then he greeted Sarah the same way, for fun. It made us laugh really hard because I'm sure it freaked out some Japanese people.
Sheng, the Chinese boy, is really fun. He's always on the look out for attractive Japanese girls and says they are prettier then Chinese. But he's always complaining that he doesn't get the same amount of attention as the rest of us because he's Asian and they can't tell he's a foreigner. So Sarah and I have become his wing men and whenever the Japanese girls start talking to us in the International Center we have Sheng come sit with us. He's always really happy about it. Plus he has a lot of Chinese friends so I'm meeting a lot of them too and they love to practice their English with us. They are really nice and one of them, Colin, has come out with us a few times so I've been getting to know him pretty well.
For some reason everyone in Japan likes to tell me how "Kawaii" (cute) or "Kirei" (pretty) I am. It's so embarrassing sometimes! If they say it in front of other Japanese people they all start agreeing and everyone will stare at me. I don't know what to do half of the time. I usually just turn red lol. The other day I walked into the office of the International Center, where the Director and all the assistance's work, and said good morning to them. Fukuda San, one of the main guys, told me that one of the other guys said I was very pretty. This embarrassed us both and they all laughed at us because we turned red. I'm becoming a little shy in Japan, shockingly.
Last night on my way to catch the train to meet up with everyone I was stopped by a Japanese guy who said, "Hey!" in very clear English. I turned and he walked up to me. He asked me, again in English, where I was going. I told him to meet up with some friends. I immediately got creepy vibes from him and knew that he was trying to get me to go out with him by the way he was asking me so many questions. He asked me if I was meeting my friends now or if I had time, if I was studying Japanese, where I am from, etc. He then asked me my age, insisting that I look very young. I used a line that Yuka taught me (thank you so much Yuka! This saved my butt!) "I'm 17 forever!" He left me alone after that and said goodbye. So, I'm grateful that Yuka taught me that trick because it scared the guy off :)
Ok! For your reading pleasure I'm going to give you a short of list of absolute random things I love about Japan! Here we go:
*Elementary school kids with matching hats.
*The fact that everyone in this country is overworked yet they are always polite.
*When I catch someone staring at me and can smile at them before they look away.
*When I see other "Whities" and we smile at each other as if we're in a secret "Japan Fan" club.
*The organization of everything!
There you have it :) I'll try to keep adding to the list each week. Sorry that this email was so long. It's so difficult to tell you guys whats been going on without writing a novel! Hope you're all well. Much love and hugs!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
A poem :)
Learning from Miyazawa Kenji Sama
September 26, 2011
The morning blazes with the song of crows,
They can be heard at every tree.
Bicycles zip through traffic as smooth as steps,
Their bells crying the approach.
Trains fill with "cool biz" wearers,
white shirts, shiny shoes, raccoon eyes.
Smoke, seaweed, bread, rain, plants; every scent combines,
making a feast that wafts.
Children stare with innocent lack of subtlety,
Midori compared to kuroi is sharp.
The world is a shade of the best colors,
So bright and real under a humid sky.
Daily, thousands of people are viewed,
None more than once.
Ibaraki Osaka, no where can be more beautiful,
Or more fitting to my hearts puzzle.
Taleah Elizabeth Cox
September 26, 2011
The morning blazes with the song of crows,
They can be heard at every tree.
Bicycles zip through traffic as smooth as steps,
Their bells crying the approach.
Trains fill with "cool biz" wearers,
white shirts, shiny shoes, raccoon eyes.
Smoke, seaweed, bread, rain, plants; every scent combines,
making a feast that wafts.
Children stare with innocent lack of subtlety,
Midori compared to kuroi is sharp.
The world is a shade of the best colors,
So bright and real under a humid sky.
Daily, thousands of people are viewed,
None more than once.
Ibaraki Osaka, no where can be more beautiful,
Or more fitting to my hearts puzzle.
Taleah Elizabeth Cox
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Hello from Japan
Dear Family and Friends,
Another email from Taleah! I'm trying to limit my emails to maybe once a week, unless something amazing happens, because they are so long. Hopefully you all enjoy reading them though. I promise that if you write me back I will respond.
School started on Thursday and it was a lot of fun. My first class was Japanese Affairs and we talked about the differences between a Japanese work place versus the work places in our countries. My teacher is, I believe, half Japanese half Italian. His name is Mr. Tamburini and his English is perfect! He doesn't even have a Japanese accent. He said that he did work as a translator so he must be amazing. He was very laid back and fun to talk with. I only had one more class that day and it was Japanese. I have a new Japanese teacher every day of the week, so I'll have 5 teachers overall. The first teacher was Mrs. Washimi. She only spoke Japanese to me, which is good. She was very encouraging and I think it went well. I still feel stupid though because I can only say things like: "Kyou wa Kyoto ni ikimasu." (I went to Kyoto today). Oh well. It will come.
During one of my breaks between classes I went to the International Center and there sat an exchange student I had never seen before. I realized he was the missing boy who never showed up at the airport and left Yukiko-San, one of the Directors assistants, waiting for 4 hours. Fukuda-San, one of the main guys in charge, was really angry. So without a phone call or anything this boy shows up a week and a half later then he's supposed to. I introduced myself, his name is Ismail, and I tried to make conversation. His mood was very bad and despite how obnoxiously friendly and outgoing I can be I found it difficult to talk to him. He was seriously in the dog house! I could see Fukuda-San and the Director in their offices talking, they both looked really angry. Ismail said he might not be able to stay, which frankly, I think is fair. In the end he was permitted to though and we have all tried to make friends with him, which is proving to be a little difficult lol. When he met everyone else he immediately began bragging about how wonderful his Japanese is and even lectured the Aussie boys on being "very rude" for talking on the bus. I'm worried he might not live through the semester. Louis, the French boy, and I joke all the time that we have to hate each other on principle as he is French and I'm American. But at lunch on the first day we ended up having a chat, just me and him, and it was a lot of fun. He's much more calm then the Aussie boys and a bit of a gentleman as well. Everyday though he tosses my hair, fluffing it and putting it all on top of my head. He loves to mess with me.
My next day, Friday, I had three classes. My first class was Japanese Science Fiction. My teacher ended up being a WAY tall French guy named Mr. Taillandier, he told us to call him Dennis. He was really down to earth and fun. My next class, which I was really excited for, Japanese History, Customs, and Culture, was canceled for the week so all of the International Students ended up hanging out for an hour and a half chatting. We ended up making plans to go out drinking and maybe do Karaoke. My last class was my Japanese class which went well again, with my other teacher Mrs. Hibi.
Friday night we went out. There was me, Sarah (the Aussie girl), Louis (the French guy), Xay (the Chinese boy from London), Dan, Madison, Brett (all Aussies), Ismail (despite the fact that only Xay seems to like him because they are both smokers), Shen (the Chinese boy), and Shen's friend who's name I can't remember because he is also Chinese. We went to a Mexican themed bar so the boys could eat dinner and drink, Sarah and I had already eaten as we live with host families. Everyone was having a lot of fun and it was exciting to see some of the usually more quiet people, like Shen, be really noisy. Dan, of course, who is always the loudest, was even more loud lol. Xay (pronounced "Say") started asking me questions about my religion. He insisted that I should go "wild" and try everything while I'm still young. I assured him that I was having fun even though I was only drinking water. He didn't seem convinced and began asking what I could and could not do because of my religion. When I told him I don't smoke or drink he then asked with a very concerned look, "And no sex before marriage right." I told him that was true. He insisted it wasn't worth it lol. Sarah jumped in and said that I know who I am and seem very happy so it's not bad. Xay wasn't being mean, he's one of the nicest guys there, so he agreed but again insisted that sex is an important part of a relationship. It was kind of funny because I told him I had my "wild" time once and it wasn't worth it. He was surprised to know it and insisted the guy wasn't nice if I wasn't having fun, which I said was true lol. He kept pushing the fact so much that I finally had to tease him. I gave him a big smile and said, "Xay, don't be mad just because I won't be having sex with you." He grinned and seemed a little embarrassed. He told me to not be so sure which made me laugh so hard. I think Xay and I will get along fine lol.
Saturday I went on a hike with two of Ooki-Chan's friends, Yumiko-San and Sachiyo-San. We went to Kyoto and hiked around Arashiyama park. It was so beautiful! There are tons of pictures on Facebook, under "Japan 3" so go check them out. When I got home from the hike I was so tired I fell asleep on my bed on top of the blankets lol. I woke up just as Oniisan and Ooki-Chan got home for the evening. They had played Tennis with friends and were as tired as me. Ooki-Chan made Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba for dinner (oishikatawa!) which is some of my favorite Japanese food for sure. We watched RED with Japanese subtitles and then went to sleep.
Today is Sunday and I have church but I think I'll be late because instead of getting ready I've been writing an email, hehe. But I'll be there eventually.
The weather is finally starting to cool down, which I'm very happy about. Fall is coming and I can't wait to see all the leafs change. I'll be taking SO many pictures so please look forward to them. Sorry that I've only been here 2 weeks and already there are over 400 pictures on Facebook. Luckily I have two memory cards for my camera, they might both be full by the time I get home.
As for me personally, I'm doing great! I'm having a lot of fun. Missing some people very much and wishing I could see you guys and hug you. I'll write again soon. I love you all very much. Hope you're all doing well. Those in school, study hard! Those working, be safe. Those who stay at home and work EXTRA hard for their families, thanks for all your difficult work. I'll write again soon :)
Another email from Taleah! I'm trying to limit my emails to maybe once a week, unless something amazing happens, because they are so long. Hopefully you all enjoy reading them though. I promise that if you write me back I will respond.
School started on Thursday and it was a lot of fun. My first class was Japanese Affairs and we talked about the differences between a Japanese work place versus the work places in our countries. My teacher is, I believe, half Japanese half Italian. His name is Mr. Tamburini and his English is perfect! He doesn't even have a Japanese accent. He said that he did work as a translator so he must be amazing. He was very laid back and fun to talk with. I only had one more class that day and it was Japanese. I have a new Japanese teacher every day of the week, so I'll have 5 teachers overall. The first teacher was Mrs. Washimi. She only spoke Japanese to me, which is good. She was very encouraging and I think it went well. I still feel stupid though because I can only say things like: "Kyou wa Kyoto ni ikimasu." (I went to Kyoto today). Oh well. It will come.
During one of my breaks between classes I went to the International Center and there sat an exchange student I had never seen before. I realized he was the missing boy who never showed up at the airport and left Yukiko-San, one of the Directors assistants, waiting for 4 hours. Fukuda-San, one of the main guys in charge, was really angry. So without a phone call or anything this boy shows up a week and a half later then he's supposed to. I introduced myself, his name is Ismail, and I tried to make conversation. His mood was very bad and despite how obnoxiously friendly and outgoing I can be I found it difficult to talk to him. He was seriously in the dog house! I could see Fukuda-San and the Director in their offices talking, they both looked really angry. Ismail said he might not be able to stay, which frankly, I think is fair. In the end he was permitted to though and we have all tried to make friends with him, which is proving to be a little difficult lol. When he met everyone else he immediately began bragging about how wonderful his Japanese is and even lectured the Aussie boys on being "very rude" for talking on the bus. I'm worried he might not live through the semester. Louis, the French boy, and I joke all the time that we have to hate each other on principle as he is French and I'm American. But at lunch on the first day we ended up having a chat, just me and him, and it was a lot of fun. He's much more calm then the Aussie boys and a bit of a gentleman as well. Everyday though he tosses my hair, fluffing it and putting it all on top of my head. He loves to mess with me.
My next day, Friday, I had three classes. My first class was Japanese Science Fiction. My teacher ended up being a WAY tall French guy named Mr. Taillandier, he told us to call him Dennis. He was really down to earth and fun. My next class, which I was really excited for, Japanese History, Customs, and Culture, was canceled for the week so all of the International Students ended up hanging out for an hour and a half chatting. We ended up making plans to go out drinking and maybe do Karaoke. My last class was my Japanese class which went well again, with my other teacher Mrs. Hibi.
Friday night we went out. There was me, Sarah (the Aussie girl), Louis (the French guy), Xay (the Chinese boy from London), Dan, Madison, Brett (all Aussies), Ismail (despite the fact that only Xay seems to like him because they are both smokers), Shen (the Chinese boy), and Shen's friend who's name I can't remember because he is also Chinese. We went to a Mexican themed bar so the boys could eat dinner and drink, Sarah and I had already eaten as we live with host families. Everyone was having a lot of fun and it was exciting to see some of the usually more quiet people, like Shen, be really noisy. Dan, of course, who is always the loudest, was even more loud lol. Xay (pronounced "Say") started asking me questions about my religion. He insisted that I should go "wild" and try everything while I'm still young. I assured him that I was having fun even though I was only drinking water. He didn't seem convinced and began asking what I could and could not do because of my religion. When I told him I don't smoke or drink he then asked with a very concerned look, "And no sex before marriage right." I told him that was true. He insisted it wasn't worth it lol. Sarah jumped in and said that I know who I am and seem very happy so it's not bad. Xay wasn't being mean, he's one of the nicest guys there, so he agreed but again insisted that sex is an important part of a relationship. It was kind of funny because I told him I had my "wild" time once and it wasn't worth it. He was surprised to know it and insisted the guy wasn't nice if I wasn't having fun, which I said was true lol. He kept pushing the fact so much that I finally had to tease him. I gave him a big smile and said, "Xay, don't be mad just because I won't be having sex with you." He grinned and seemed a little embarrassed. He told me to not be so sure which made me laugh so hard. I think Xay and I will get along fine lol.
Saturday I went on a hike with two of Ooki-Chan's friends, Yumiko-San and Sachiyo-San. We went to Kyoto and hiked around Arashiyama park. It was so beautiful! There are tons of pictures on Facebook, under "Japan 3" so go check them out. When I got home from the hike I was so tired I fell asleep on my bed on top of the blankets lol. I woke up just as Oniisan and Ooki-Chan got home for the evening. They had played Tennis with friends and were as tired as me. Ooki-Chan made Okonomiyaki and Yakisoba for dinner (oishikatawa!) which is some of my favorite Japanese food for sure. We watched RED with Japanese subtitles and then went to sleep.
Today is Sunday and I have church but I think I'll be late because instead of getting ready I've been writing an email, hehe. But I'll be there eventually.
The weather is finally starting to cool down, which I'm very happy about. Fall is coming and I can't wait to see all the leafs change. I'll be taking SO many pictures so please look forward to them. Sorry that I've only been here 2 weeks and already there are over 400 pictures on Facebook. Luckily I have two memory cards for my camera, they might both be full by the time I get home.
As for me personally, I'm doing great! I'm having a lot of fun. Missing some people very much and wishing I could see you guys and hug you. I'll write again soon. I love you all very much. Hope you're all doing well. Those in school, study hard! Those working, be safe. Those who stay at home and work EXTRA hard for their families, thanks for all your difficult work. I'll write again soon :)
Monday, September 19, 2011
My Weekend
Hey you guys,
Things here are . . . meh. Ok I guess. Just today was bad, the rest of the weekend rocked. I'll tell you about it all.
Saturday, as many of you saw from my pictures and videos, I went to a Japanese garden with Oniisan. It was very beautiful! I felt very Japanese, riding my bike through Ibaraki. The people here ride and control bikes as easily as walking! I see elderly people riding around, zig zagging through cars and people, with one hand, the other holding an umbrella so they won't tan. It's freaking crazy! I'm not even half that good on a bike so it was kind of scary at times because I seriously thought I was going to crash, die, or take out a pedestrian. All went well though and now I have a bike I can use whenever I want :)
Sunday I managed to go to church. There are four missionaries in the area and, sadly, they are all male. So I'm still a little on my own. One of the Elders is from Utah though so that was exciting. He's a greeny, only been here 12 weeks. Poor guy. He even has a "female friend" (as he put it) who will be going to Snow College next semester. There are a few people who speak English though and one woman translated RS for me. One of the Elders translated Sunday School and during Sacrament I just sat quietly without a translator. The people closest to my age, who are unmarried, happen to be the missionaries. Everyone else is either middle aged, a young married couple, or very small children. But it was fun to sing the hymns in Japanese so even if I can't communicate with people or understand what they're bearing their testimonies about I can enjoy the singing.
Monday was a holiday so I went to Kyoto with Ooki-Chan and her best friend Taiko-San. We went to Heian Shrine and Yasaka Shrine. I was fortunate enough to see two weddings, both with the couple wearing very traditional clothes. It was way cool! I also bought a fortune at Heian Shrine, extremely good luck, and made a wish at Yasaka Shrine with a coin. Again there are tons of pictures on FB. I really liked Kyoto, the shrine I desperately want to see, the Golden Pavilion, will be my next trip I hope. I think it would look best with snow around it :) The people in Kyoto, despite being only an hour by train away, are very different from the people in Ibaraki. Ibaraki is kind of the "small" town in Osaka so it feels just like home for me. In Kyoto I saw more couples holding hands in that one afternoon then I've seen in Ibaraki in a week! Plus there are many more foreigners in Kyoto so I wasn't really stared at. Once we got back to Ibaraki though it was back to being an item of attention, which is fine with me because it gives me the chance to smile at people and say hello hehe.
Today, Tuesday, we had a placement test at Otemon. Out of everyone I speak and know the least amount of Japanese so I planned on doing the worst on the test. I only studied a little, since I figured it's not a competition. When we got the tests my stomach dropped. It was all in Japanese! And not just Hiragana or Katakana (the alphabets I know) but tons of Kanji! On a good day I know maybe 10 Kanji. So I attempted to read through the test but skipped over the Kanji questions, with the exception of the one Kanji I knew. (They asked us to not guess, and to only answer the ones we knew.) They gave us 90 minuets to take the test, I was done after about 20. The questions I could read through had words I didn't know with verbs I did know so I had no idea what the questions were asking. It was seriously frustrating. So I knew maybe 1% of the test and then left way before everyone else. But when all the others met up in the International Room they also had a very hard time with the test. So I will be working out of the same text book from Snow College and my Japanese class will meet two times a day. As far as I can tell I will be the only one in that level . . . *sigh* I have a lot to learn.
On top of the stupid test and my inability to speak, read, understand, anything Japanese (grrr!) a Typhoon is going to hit Ibaraki tomorrow. So, despite it being my last day off before school starts, I get to hide indoors while the wind tries to rip Osaka apart. Nobody worry though, the Typhoon is supposed to be mild with no serious damage. I will be fine.
To cheer myself up I keep thinking about the fact that there is a used Kimono store in Ibaraki that Ooki-Chan said she would take me to. Some of her previous homestay girls have gone there and bought real silk Kimonos for a reasonable price. Hopefully I can get one too :)
Love you all!
Things here are . . . meh. Ok I guess. Just today was bad, the rest of the weekend rocked. I'll tell you about it all.
Saturday, as many of you saw from my pictures and videos, I went to a Japanese garden with Oniisan. It was very beautiful! I felt very Japanese, riding my bike through Ibaraki. The people here ride and control bikes as easily as walking! I see elderly people riding around, zig zagging through cars and people, with one hand, the other holding an umbrella so they won't tan. It's freaking crazy! I'm not even half that good on a bike so it was kind of scary at times because I seriously thought I was going to crash, die, or take out a pedestrian. All went well though and now I have a bike I can use whenever I want :)
Sunday I managed to go to church. There are four missionaries in the area and, sadly, they are all male. So I'm still a little on my own. One of the Elders is from Utah though so that was exciting. He's a greeny, only been here 12 weeks. Poor guy. He even has a "female friend" (as he put it) who will be going to Snow College next semester. There are a few people who speak English though and one woman translated RS for me. One of the Elders translated Sunday School and during Sacrament I just sat quietly without a translator. The people closest to my age, who are unmarried, happen to be the missionaries. Everyone else is either middle aged, a young married couple, or very small children. But it was fun to sing the hymns in Japanese so even if I can't communicate with people or understand what they're bearing their testimonies about I can enjoy the singing.
Monday was a holiday so I went to Kyoto with Ooki-Chan and her best friend Taiko-San. We went to Heian Shrine and Yasaka Shrine. I was fortunate enough to see two weddings, both with the couple wearing very traditional clothes. It was way cool! I also bought a fortune at Heian Shrine, extremely good luck, and made a wish at Yasaka Shrine with a coin. Again there are tons of pictures on FB. I really liked Kyoto, the shrine I desperately want to see, the Golden Pavilion, will be my next trip I hope. I think it would look best with snow around it :) The people in Kyoto, despite being only an hour by train away, are very different from the people in Ibaraki. Ibaraki is kind of the "small" town in Osaka so it feels just like home for me. In Kyoto I saw more couples holding hands in that one afternoon then I've seen in Ibaraki in a week! Plus there are many more foreigners in Kyoto so I wasn't really stared at. Once we got back to Ibaraki though it was back to being an item of attention, which is fine with me because it gives me the chance to smile at people and say hello hehe.
Today, Tuesday, we had a placement test at Otemon. Out of everyone I speak and know the least amount of Japanese so I planned on doing the worst on the test. I only studied a little, since I figured it's not a competition. When we got the tests my stomach dropped. It was all in Japanese! And not just Hiragana or Katakana (the alphabets I know) but tons of Kanji! On a good day I know maybe 10 Kanji. So I attempted to read through the test but skipped over the Kanji questions, with the exception of the one Kanji I knew. (They asked us to not guess, and to only answer the ones we knew.) They gave us 90 minuets to take the test, I was done after about 20. The questions I could read through had words I didn't know with verbs I did know so I had no idea what the questions were asking. It was seriously frustrating. So I knew maybe 1% of the test and then left way before everyone else. But when all the others met up in the International Room they also had a very hard time with the test. So I will be working out of the same text book from Snow College and my Japanese class will meet two times a day. As far as I can tell I will be the only one in that level . . . *sigh* I have a lot to learn.
On top of the stupid test and my inability to speak, read, understand, anything Japanese (grrr!) a Typhoon is going to hit Ibaraki tomorrow. So, despite it being my last day off before school starts, I get to hide indoors while the wind tries to rip Osaka apart. Nobody worry though, the Typhoon is supposed to be mild with no serious damage. I will be fine.
To cheer myself up I keep thinking about the fact that there is a used Kimono store in Ibaraki that Ooki-Chan said she would take me to. Some of her previous homestay girls have gone there and bought real silk Kimonos for a reasonable price. Hopefully I can get one too :)
Love you all!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Oh the Places You Will Go . . .
Hey everyone!
Wow, so much is going on and I can't remember all of what I last told you lol. So the day of Orientation: I left very early because I wanted to take pictures of my walk, you can see them on Facebook, and ended up sitting at the bus station for a good hour. It's a lot of fun because my eyes are so bright I get a lot of attention. So tons of people were watching me and I watched all of them. Everything about this country is amazing! I see so many things that remind me of Yuka and Trevor. I miss you guys a ton because of it! But then I see so many things that I've never seen in the US that I miss everyone else because I wish they could see what I'm seeing! I wish you could all just be here with me to experience the wonder of Japan! I'll tell you a little about what I've seen and noticed:
*In Japan you'll see very elderly people, bent practically in half with age, walking around with canes and I can't help but think they're almost 200 years old! Ooki-chan (my host mom) says that the humidity makes Japanese people look youthful. Either way it's crazy to see such aged people waltzing around, taking trains and buses.
*All of the business men where the same clothes: dress pants and white button up shirts. Seriously, there's thousands of men dressed like that! They look very nice but also casual so I guess it works. Maybe in the winter they'll add dress coats. . . I'm waiting to see :)
*Elementary school kids and younger kids in general are so adorable! They all wear brightly colored hats, so they are easy to see and won't be hit by bikes or cars. Adults are more discrete about the way they look at me but kids just blatantly stare. I just smile at them. There was a young boy in a restaurant last night that I caught staring at my eyes. When I looked at him he jumped and looked away so fast, ducking behind a wall. It was so cute!
*Everything here is so efficient and courteous. There are even unspoken rules about riding escalators. If you just want to stand on them you stay on the right side. If you're in a hurry you can walk up the left side. Everyone, even elementary school kids, abide by this rule. People just naturally move to the right side so those who need to hurry can get past without any problems. We would never be able to pull off something like this in America, we're way too selfish!
*Whenever we go anywhere (the exchange students from Otemon) the Aussie boys are always the loudest! We were in City Hall yesterday to get our Alien Visa's and in the whole office, which was quite large, it was so quiet you could have a hushed conversation easily. With the exception of the Australian boys who just crack up laughing and make weird jokes all day. They have no idea bout sensing the mood lol.
*I've decided that they might be nothing more simply beautiful as seeing a tall apartment building with balcony's full of clothes flapping in the wind. I want to take a picture of it sometime but I know it won't do it justice.
It's funny, I researched Japanese culture so much before coming here that I'm not having culture shock, simply experiencing everything for myself now. I love the way Japan works! I love the organization and the attention to details. It's like a dream come true for my organization freak self. It's so beautiful here!
I went to Orientation at Otemon. The campus is huge! It was funny because Fukuda-San, one of the main guys in charge of exchange students, assured us that it was a small university of only 6,000 people. . . that's more people then the population of Ephraim. Oh boy! Small town girl in the big city :) The university is beautiful! I'll take more pictures soon for you guys. They have tons of clubs and I think I'll do Aikido for my martial art :)
There are 10 exchange students and I'm the only American! There's a boy from France, Louis, but he came from a London university with Sei, a boy that is full Chinese but has always lived in London so he speaks fluent Chinese and English. There are four people from Australia, Sarah (who is so pretty! And very nice), Maddison, Dan, and one other who I can't remember his name right now. There is a girl from Korea that we all call U-San because none of us can say her real name. She's pretty tall for an Asian and is always in shorts. Sarah and I talked about how nice her legs were yesterday lol. then there are two students, Shane (I think . . .) and Fefe (her nickname), from China. Everyone, besides me, speaks a small amount of Japanese. U-San, Shane, and Fefe speak it fluently. Everyone seems very nice. Louis, the guy from France, called me "America" yesterday because he couldn't remember my name lol. We had a fun conversation while walking through the streets. I'll try to get pictures of everyone soon.
So there are 4 girls and 6 boys. I really like the girls but I can't communicate with two of them, which sucks because they are both so nice and I want to talk to them. Sarah and I spend a lot of time together and we have a good time. Her accent is so fun. Shane, the Chinese boy, is very friendly from the little I've seen him. He speaks very good Japanese but tends to stick close to Fefe and speaks Chinese with her. We had broken up into two groups yesterday to get all kinds of paperwork done and when our groups bumped into each other at the bank he gave me a great big smile and waved to me. I want to get to know him more.
Things here, other then that, are going great. We did a ton of paperwork yesterday. I even got a Japanese bank account and a Hanko which is a Japanese stamp of your name for important documents :) (check out Facebook for further explanation). Yuka, does having a Japanese bank account make me more of an honorary Japanese person? I know it's not a Social Security Number by any means but it should count for something lol.
I hope you're all doing well. I love you guys so much! . . . and only miss you a little heehee just teasing. I do miss you guys :) Luckily I haven't felt very homesick, just every now and then and only for a second and then I remember that right now I'm living my dream. I am so happy, as I'm sure you can tell from my huge smile in all of my pictures. Hope to hear from you guys soon. Hugs and kisses!
Wow, so much is going on and I can't remember all of what I last told you lol. So the day of Orientation: I left very early because I wanted to take pictures of my walk, you can see them on Facebook, and ended up sitting at the bus station for a good hour. It's a lot of fun because my eyes are so bright I get a lot of attention. So tons of people were watching me and I watched all of them. Everything about this country is amazing! I see so many things that remind me of Yuka and Trevor. I miss you guys a ton because of it! But then I see so many things that I've never seen in the US that I miss everyone else because I wish they could see what I'm seeing! I wish you could all just be here with me to experience the wonder of Japan! I'll tell you a little about what I've seen and noticed:
*In Japan you'll see very elderly people, bent practically in half with age, walking around with canes and I can't help but think they're almost 200 years old! Ooki-chan (my host mom) says that the humidity makes Japanese people look youthful. Either way it's crazy to see such aged people waltzing around, taking trains and buses.
*All of the business men where the same clothes: dress pants and white button up shirts. Seriously, there's thousands of men dressed like that! They look very nice but also casual so I guess it works. Maybe in the winter they'll add dress coats. . . I'm waiting to see :)
*Elementary school kids and younger kids in general are so adorable! They all wear brightly colored hats, so they are easy to see and won't be hit by bikes or cars. Adults are more discrete about the way they look at me but kids just blatantly stare. I just smile at them. There was a young boy in a restaurant last night that I caught staring at my eyes. When I looked at him he jumped and looked away so fast, ducking behind a wall. It was so cute!
*Everything here is so efficient and courteous. There are even unspoken rules about riding escalators. If you just want to stand on them you stay on the right side. If you're in a hurry you can walk up the left side. Everyone, even elementary school kids, abide by this rule. People just naturally move to the right side so those who need to hurry can get past without any problems. We would never be able to pull off something like this in America, we're way too selfish!
*Whenever we go anywhere (the exchange students from Otemon) the Aussie boys are always the loudest! We were in City Hall yesterday to get our Alien Visa's and in the whole office, which was quite large, it was so quiet you could have a hushed conversation easily. With the exception of the Australian boys who just crack up laughing and make weird jokes all day. They have no idea bout sensing the mood lol.
*I've decided that they might be nothing more simply beautiful as seeing a tall apartment building with balcony's full of clothes flapping in the wind. I want to take a picture of it sometime but I know it won't do it justice.
It's funny, I researched Japanese culture so much before coming here that I'm not having culture shock, simply experiencing everything for myself now. I love the way Japan works! I love the organization and the attention to details. It's like a dream come true for my organization freak self. It's so beautiful here!
I went to Orientation at Otemon. The campus is huge! It was funny because Fukuda-San, one of the main guys in charge of exchange students, assured us that it was a small university of only 6,000 people. . . that's more people then the population of Ephraim. Oh boy! Small town girl in the big city :) The university is beautiful! I'll take more pictures soon for you guys. They have tons of clubs and I think I'll do Aikido for my martial art :)
There are 10 exchange students and I'm the only American! There's a boy from France, Louis, but he came from a London university with Sei, a boy that is full Chinese but has always lived in London so he speaks fluent Chinese and English. There are four people from Australia, Sarah (who is so pretty! And very nice), Maddison, Dan, and one other who I can't remember his name right now. There is a girl from Korea that we all call U-San because none of us can say her real name. She's pretty tall for an Asian and is always in shorts. Sarah and I talked about how nice her legs were yesterday lol. then there are two students, Shane (I think . . .) and Fefe (her nickname), from China. Everyone, besides me, speaks a small amount of Japanese. U-San, Shane, and Fefe speak it fluently. Everyone seems very nice. Louis, the guy from France, called me "America" yesterday because he couldn't remember my name lol. We had a fun conversation while walking through the streets. I'll try to get pictures of everyone soon.
So there are 4 girls and 6 boys. I really like the girls but I can't communicate with two of them, which sucks because they are both so nice and I want to talk to them. Sarah and I spend a lot of time together and we have a good time. Her accent is so fun. Shane, the Chinese boy, is very friendly from the little I've seen him. He speaks very good Japanese but tends to stick close to Fefe and speaks Chinese with her. We had broken up into two groups yesterday to get all kinds of paperwork done and when our groups bumped into each other at the bank he gave me a great big smile and waved to me. I want to get to know him more.
Things here, other then that, are going great. We did a ton of paperwork yesterday. I even got a Japanese bank account and a Hanko which is a Japanese stamp of your name for important documents :) (check out Facebook for further explanation). Yuka, does having a Japanese bank account make me more of an honorary Japanese person? I know it's not a Social Security Number by any means but it should count for something lol.
I hope you're all doing well. I love you guys so much! . . . and only miss you a little heehee just teasing. I do miss you guys :) Luckily I haven't felt very homesick, just every now and then and only for a second and then I remember that right now I'm living my dream. I am so happy, as I'm sure you can tell from my huge smile in all of my pictures. Hope to hear from you guys soon. Hugs and kisses!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
1st Day in Japan
Hello everyone! Starting tomorrow I have Orientation for school so I won't be able to write daily. I wanted to write a little about my first day with my host family while it was still fresh on my mind. They made me feel right at home :)
Etsuko-San is very pretty and SMALL. She came out the door when my taxi pulled up and met me. She took me inside, hefting one of my big bags herself. She showed me the downstairs, my room, the shared tub, and my toilet area right as Toru-San, her husband came home. He was very excited and quickly came and shook my hand. He spoke to me in Japanese and I said, thanks to Yuka teaching me, "Nihongo benkyou chu desu." Which means "I'm still studying Japanese." Toru-San got very excited and complimented my accent. He then gave me a big grin and said in English "I speak Japanese." He made me, Etsuko-San, and the teacher from Otemon laugh. They took me upstairs into the kitchen where I was shown around. Etsuko-San was explaining things to me when Toru-San cut in, pulling the pens from his pocket and insisted, with his silly grin, that they were his work pens. He's very sarcastic and funny. I really liked him right away.
Etsuko-San gave me Ocha and offered me some chocolate. I was still so sick from the plane ride that I couldn't eat anything. I managed to sip some of the tea and sat while my Sensei spoke in very fast Japanese to my host family about my schedule and what I needed to have done. Once she left, around 8 PM, I went off to bed, much to the clear disappointment of my host parents. I could tell they wanted to talk to me but I was standing by sheer force.
I climbed into bed, which is very hard but strangely comfortable, and rode the airplane all over again until I fell asleep. I woke up, about two hours later after a short nap. I could hear my host parents upstairs and, since they had been so welcoming, I felt comfortable going to meet them. I went up and instantly saw the happiness spread across their faces. Toru-San was in his pajamas and doing some work at the table. Etsuko-San asked if I was hungry and I, feeling a little better after sleeping, said I was. She gave me fresh fruit, made me a grilled ham sandwhich, and a cup of water. Toru-San asked about what kind of food I can't eat, their last student was a vegetarian and it seems it was very difficult for them. He recalled that on my application I said that I like Inarizushi (pickled tofu with white rice) and was very excited, calling me his Inarizushi loving exchange student.
I gave them the presents I had bought as a thank you, two bags of ice cream flavored hard candy, and two shot glasses from Utah (One that says Salt Lake City and one with the Arches). They were very pleased and Toru-San immediately filled up one of the glasses, after washing it, with Sake. He said it was perfect for Sake and was very excited about the arches picture on the glass. They asked me many questions about Utah, my family, my home etc. Toru-San even pulled up Google Maps and used used the satellites to look at an outdated picture of my house. They were amazed at the size and the number of children in the family. They also commented on the road width and laughed about how small the town was. They were amazed that I could get to college in 5 minutes.
Etsuko-San asked what my major was and I told her Japanese. They were very pleased with this information and asked what I wanted to do with it. I told them that it was my dream to teach English in Japan someday. They praised this idea and insisted that many people want to learn English. Toru-San leaned over and whispered loudly, "I have a secret to tell you." I asked what it was. He insisted it was top secret and then told me that he is a high school teacher. He made us all laugh so hard. He's very funny and it's sweet because even Etsuko-San talks about how funny he is when he's not around :) Toru-San showed me pictures of his class and told me about his students a little. I expressed and interest in seeing it sometime and he offered to take me to meet them, saying that they would love to practice their English with me.
I asked about their son, he's grown up and living in Tokyo. He sells tickets for all kinds of sports events in Japan and travels a lot doing so. It seems like a very good job and I can tell they are proud. They were shocked to find out my age, insisting that I looked so young. I am only one year younger then their son. I stayed up until around 12 talking to them and then we all went to bed.
The next morning I woke up at 5 AM to the sound of a motorcycle tearing through the neighborhood and a police siren. I feel back asleep but only for half an hour and then I was wide awake. I got up, rearranged my room, since Etsuko-San said I could, and put all my stuff away. It's very hot here right now though so by then, between being so ill the day before, and moving a bed and table I was very sweaty and hot. So I took my very first shower in Japan! For those of you who don't know, bathing and showering in Japan is very different then in the US. You should look it up for further details. Since it's such a different experience it was a lot of fun :) After I showered I got ready and went upstairs. Etsuko-San complimented me, saying I was so cute, and helped me find some breakfast. I haven't had an apatite, since the flight, but I forced myself to eat some food. I had fruit and another sandwhich. Very simple and easy on the stomach.
Etsuko-San then took me outside to show me around the neighborhood a little. We brought along Tommy, her dog, who is 14 years old and so cute. It will be easy to get lost in Japan I think but everything is so beautiful it wouldn't be too bad lol. The trees are so different, the streets are narrow, there are always people on bikes, and all these tiny cars. Pictures cannot do it justice. When we got back home we cleaned the kitchen a little and I helped put away the dishes. Etsuko-San teaches English to housewives through out the day and at 9:30 the first group 4 very kind middle aged woman, came to the house. They were all very enthusiastic about meeting me and the first hour of the lesson Etsuko-San let them ask me all sorts of questions. It was a lot of fun to see and hear their reactions. Japanese people speak a lot in just sounds. So when I would say something they thought was interesting the whole room would fill with "Ahhh!" from all their mouths. I sat in for the lesson in which they translated a newspaper story from English to Japanese. It seemed very difficult, to me at least, and I was amazed at their diligence. They all spoke very good English and Etsuko-San told me that they come to her house just for practice and study.
I ended up telling them that I was religious and this seemed to impress them. They asked what religion and I told them Mormon. One of the women knew about the religion and Etsuko-San said that she had been to their church before. She said she could help me find it so I could attend services. They asked about rules and limitations that come from the religion. I told them that I don't drink alcohol and this made Etsuko-San seem happy as I said I don't mind if others drink at all and explained that it would be fun to go out with friends, even though I don't drink.
After that we went out to lunch. Etsuko-San showed me to the train station where we took the train and she showed me to the bus station where I would take my bus tomorrow for school. We went out for Udon Noodles for lunch, my first Japanese food, and it was so good! I felt bad that I could only manage to eat little more then half :( I had Beef Udon and Etsuko-San instructed me to slurp my noodles (Please forgive me Mom, I will be a slurper when I come home hehe). She bought me lunch and pointed out the Inarizushi for me to buy as well. It is as good as heaven :) While we were eating lunch I finished my glass of water and wanted more. Etsuko-San offered to refill it but I assured her I could. She explained to me how and I walked to the machine and pressed the button for water myself. It was funny because she watched me the whole time, making sure I would be alright, and I could tell she was very proud when I managed it. She's very motherly and sweet. I really love my host family already!
I bought a 3 month bus pass which cost 12,600 Yen (About $135) and that was painful. Curse you economy! Etsuko-San had me lead her home, making sure I would know my way and not get lost. She also taught me some words in Kansaiben (her dialect) but I can only remember one. Mecha atsui! Which means "It's really hot". Is that correct Trevor? I told her I want to learn Kansaiben and she was happy. It is very hot here still and humid. It's a little horrible lol. But it's also very nice because my skin is so soft already. But my hair is very fuzzy lol. Etsuko-San asked me if I minded people staring at me and I assured her I didn't. I said that I would just smile and wave to them. This pleased her and she told me that her last student, the vegetarian one, would get very irritated when people looked at her. It seems like they didn't really enjoy their last student a lot. But she took a picture of me at the restaurant because I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. I was in Japan, surrounded by Japanese people, eating Udon. What a dream come true!
Sorry, this email was supposed to be short but I'm just so excited and happy about Japan! I posted a few pictures on Facebook, go check them out. I'll try to get pictures of my host parents soon. Hope all is well. Love and miss you guys. Keep me in your prayers.
Etsuko-San is very pretty and SMALL. She came out the door when my taxi pulled up and met me. She took me inside, hefting one of my big bags herself. She showed me the downstairs, my room, the shared tub, and my toilet area right as Toru-San, her husband came home. He was very excited and quickly came and shook my hand. He spoke to me in Japanese and I said, thanks to Yuka teaching me, "Nihongo benkyou chu desu." Which means "I'm still studying Japanese." Toru-San got very excited and complimented my accent. He then gave me a big grin and said in English "I speak Japanese." He made me, Etsuko-San, and the teacher from Otemon laugh. They took me upstairs into the kitchen where I was shown around. Etsuko-San was explaining things to me when Toru-San cut in, pulling the pens from his pocket and insisted, with his silly grin, that they were his work pens. He's very sarcastic and funny. I really liked him right away.
Etsuko-San gave me Ocha and offered me some chocolate. I was still so sick from the plane ride that I couldn't eat anything. I managed to sip some of the tea and sat while my Sensei spoke in very fast Japanese to my host family about my schedule and what I needed to have done. Once she left, around 8 PM, I went off to bed, much to the clear disappointment of my host parents. I could tell they wanted to talk to me but I was standing by sheer force.
I climbed into bed, which is very hard but strangely comfortable, and rode the airplane all over again until I fell asleep. I woke up, about two hours later after a short nap. I could hear my host parents upstairs and, since they had been so welcoming, I felt comfortable going to meet them. I went up and instantly saw the happiness spread across their faces. Toru-San was in his pajamas and doing some work at the table. Etsuko-San asked if I was hungry and I, feeling a little better after sleeping, said I was. She gave me fresh fruit, made me a grilled ham sandwhich, and a cup of water. Toru-San asked about what kind of food I can't eat, their last student was a vegetarian and it seems it was very difficult for them. He recalled that on my application I said that I like Inarizushi (pickled tofu with white rice) and was very excited, calling me his Inarizushi loving exchange student.
I gave them the presents I had bought as a thank you, two bags of ice cream flavored hard candy, and two shot glasses from Utah (One that says Salt Lake City and one with the Arches). They were very pleased and Toru-San immediately filled up one of the glasses, after washing it, with Sake. He said it was perfect for Sake and was very excited about the arches picture on the glass. They asked me many questions about Utah, my family, my home etc. Toru-San even pulled up Google Maps and used used the satellites to look at an outdated picture of my house. They were amazed at the size and the number of children in the family. They also commented on the road width and laughed about how small the town was. They were amazed that I could get to college in 5 minutes.
Etsuko-San asked what my major was and I told her Japanese. They were very pleased with this information and asked what I wanted to do with it. I told them that it was my dream to teach English in Japan someday. They praised this idea and insisted that many people want to learn English. Toru-San leaned over and whispered loudly, "I have a secret to tell you." I asked what it was. He insisted it was top secret and then told me that he is a high school teacher. He made us all laugh so hard. He's very funny and it's sweet because even Etsuko-San talks about how funny he is when he's not around :) Toru-San showed me pictures of his class and told me about his students a little. I expressed and interest in seeing it sometime and he offered to take me to meet them, saying that they would love to practice their English with me.
I asked about their son, he's grown up and living in Tokyo. He sells tickets for all kinds of sports events in Japan and travels a lot doing so. It seems like a very good job and I can tell they are proud. They were shocked to find out my age, insisting that I looked so young. I am only one year younger then their son. I stayed up until around 12 talking to them and then we all went to bed.
The next morning I woke up at 5 AM to the sound of a motorcycle tearing through the neighborhood and a police siren. I feel back asleep but only for half an hour and then I was wide awake. I got up, rearranged my room, since Etsuko-San said I could, and put all my stuff away. It's very hot here right now though so by then, between being so ill the day before, and moving a bed and table I was very sweaty and hot. So I took my very first shower in Japan! For those of you who don't know, bathing and showering in Japan is very different then in the US. You should look it up for further details. Since it's such a different experience it was a lot of fun :) After I showered I got ready and went upstairs. Etsuko-San complimented me, saying I was so cute, and helped me find some breakfast. I haven't had an apatite, since the flight, but I forced myself to eat some food. I had fruit and another sandwhich. Very simple and easy on the stomach.
Etsuko-San then took me outside to show me around the neighborhood a little. We brought along Tommy, her dog, who is 14 years old and so cute. It will be easy to get lost in Japan I think but everything is so beautiful it wouldn't be too bad lol. The trees are so different, the streets are narrow, there are always people on bikes, and all these tiny cars. Pictures cannot do it justice. When we got back home we cleaned the kitchen a little and I helped put away the dishes. Etsuko-San teaches English to housewives through out the day and at 9:30 the first group 4 very kind middle aged woman, came to the house. They were all very enthusiastic about meeting me and the first hour of the lesson Etsuko-San let them ask me all sorts of questions. It was a lot of fun to see and hear their reactions. Japanese people speak a lot in just sounds. So when I would say something they thought was interesting the whole room would fill with "Ahhh!" from all their mouths. I sat in for the lesson in which they translated a newspaper story from English to Japanese. It seemed very difficult, to me at least, and I was amazed at their diligence. They all spoke very good English and Etsuko-San told me that they come to her house just for practice and study.
I ended up telling them that I was religious and this seemed to impress them. They asked what religion and I told them Mormon. One of the women knew about the religion and Etsuko-San said that she had been to their church before. She said she could help me find it so I could attend services. They asked about rules and limitations that come from the religion. I told them that I don't drink alcohol and this made Etsuko-San seem happy as I said I don't mind if others drink at all and explained that it would be fun to go out with friends, even though I don't drink.
After that we went out to lunch. Etsuko-San showed me to the train station where we took the train and she showed me to the bus station where I would take my bus tomorrow for school. We went out for Udon Noodles for lunch, my first Japanese food, and it was so good! I felt bad that I could only manage to eat little more then half :( I had Beef Udon and Etsuko-San instructed me to slurp my noodles (Please forgive me Mom, I will be a slurper when I come home hehe). She bought me lunch and pointed out the Inarizushi for me to buy as well. It is as good as heaven :) While we were eating lunch I finished my glass of water and wanted more. Etsuko-San offered to refill it but I assured her I could. She explained to me how and I walked to the machine and pressed the button for water myself. It was funny because she watched me the whole time, making sure I would be alright, and I could tell she was very proud when I managed it. She's very motherly and sweet. I really love my host family already!
I bought a 3 month bus pass which cost 12,600 Yen (About $135) and that was painful. Curse you economy! Etsuko-San had me lead her home, making sure I would know my way and not get lost. She also taught me some words in Kansaiben (her dialect) but I can only remember one. Mecha atsui! Which means "It's really hot". Is that correct Trevor? I told her I want to learn Kansaiben and she was happy. It is very hot here still and humid. It's a little horrible lol. But it's also very nice because my skin is so soft already. But my hair is very fuzzy lol. Etsuko-San asked me if I minded people staring at me and I assured her I didn't. I said that I would just smile and wave to them. This pleased her and she told me that her last student, the vegetarian one, would get very irritated when people looked at her. It seems like they didn't really enjoy their last student a lot. But she took a picture of me at the restaurant because I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. I was in Japan, surrounded by Japanese people, eating Udon. What a dream come true!
Sorry, this email was supposed to be short but I'm just so excited and happy about Japan! I posted a few pictures on Facebook, go check them out. I'll try to get pictures of my host parents soon. Hope all is well. Love and miss you guys. Keep me in your prayers.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Nihon ni ikimasu!
Dear Family and Friends,
I'M IN JAPAN!!!
I hate to inform you all that I will not be returning to America from Japan. I will be staying here forever because I would rather die then set foot on a plane EVER again!
Here's what happened: My first plane, from Salt Lake to Seattle, ended up being a very small aircraft in which every movement was felt. Luckily that ride was only 2 hours. I sat by the window and next to a very nice middle aged man from Seattle who was going home after a wedding. I told him that it was my first time flying ever, besides skydiving. He said he worked for the airport and assured me that it wouldn't be that bad. He kept an eye on me during the flight and laughed when I groaned over airsickness.
My layover in Seattle was only 30 minutes, which normally would have been great, except I felt very sick from the first flight. I had time to only use the bathroom and then I boarded my flight on it's last call. As I sat, waiting to take off, I looked out the window and teared up. I knew that I was leaving the country so I felt a little alone. But mostly I knew that I had 11 hours of flight time and I wasn't going to make it without getting very sick. This thought was more sad then anything.
A middle aged woman sat next to me and at first I was disappointed that she was American. On a plane full of Japanese people I get seated to one of the only other American's, what are the odds? But she ended up being a complete God send, a Guardian Angel to be sure because no more than an hour into the flight and I was rushing to the bathroom to throw up. Orange juice, I assure you, doesn't taste as good coming up but it's still just as citrusy. The rest of the flight was some of the most miserable 11 hours of my life. I haven't been that sick since I had stomach flu. If I wasn't asleep I was getting airsick. The second time I lost my cookies was right as they were delivering dinner. The smell got to me and, being trapped by the window and a food cart, I had to use the airsick bag. It was humiliating! Luckily my seat partner/angel, Pollie, is a mom of two kids and it didn't bother her at all. She let me out as soon as she could. The third time was right out of sleep, in another airsick bag. The fourth time was 5 minuets before we landed. I didn't eat a single thing the whole flight and wasn't able to even keep water down. Pollie was very sweet and kept asking if I needed anything or if I was alright.
And that my dear family and friends is why I will never be leaving the island of Japan. I figure I can either marry a Japanese man or join a Yakuza gang if I get seriously desperate. Eww. . . just typing this all again is making me feel the airsickness. I hate flying!
I arrived safely a nice shade of pale green which worried one of the flight attendants who insisted a take some bottles of water off with me. I made it through customs but was very weak from not eating for almost 24 hours and completely sick that I couldn't really enjoy the knowledge that I was in Japan. I bumped into my Guardian Angel while picking up my bags and she wished me a final goodbye and good luck. I might give one of my children her name for a middle name. . .
I made it through everything without getting too lost but felt horrible the whole time. Japan is very warm right now and I fanned myself to cool down and realized that it didn't help at all because it's humid, not hot. So I'm experiencing my first time of humidity. The bus ride was fine but I mostly just sat still and tried not to throw up so I haven't really gotten to enjoy Japan life sadly. I found my university teachers easily and they took me to my host family by taxi. My taxi driver was crazy and, since the roads are all backwards here, extremely terrifying. But I made it safe and sound to my host families who, upon meeting them, I think I will love it here.
I'll write more about them later though. I'm feeling ill again and it's 2:12 AM so I should try to get back to sleep. Love to you all!
Special thanks to Naomi, Nathan, Yuka, Tamirrah, and Kendall for seeing me off at the airport.
Yuka, thanks for warning me about the toilets being very loud in airplanes. So startling!
Trevor, thanks again for letting me know about the 3rd bag. That was a life saver.
I'M IN JAPAN!!!
I hate to inform you all that I will not be returning to America from Japan. I will be staying here forever because I would rather die then set foot on a plane EVER again!
Here's what happened: My first plane, from Salt Lake to Seattle, ended up being a very small aircraft in which every movement was felt. Luckily that ride was only 2 hours. I sat by the window and next to a very nice middle aged man from Seattle who was going home after a wedding. I told him that it was my first time flying ever, besides skydiving. He said he worked for the airport and assured me that it wouldn't be that bad. He kept an eye on me during the flight and laughed when I groaned over airsickness.
My layover in Seattle was only 30 minutes, which normally would have been great, except I felt very sick from the first flight. I had time to only use the bathroom and then I boarded my flight on it's last call. As I sat, waiting to take off, I looked out the window and teared up. I knew that I was leaving the country so I felt a little alone. But mostly I knew that I had 11 hours of flight time and I wasn't going to make it without getting very sick. This thought was more sad then anything.
A middle aged woman sat next to me and at first I was disappointed that she was American. On a plane full of Japanese people I get seated to one of the only other American's, what are the odds? But she ended up being a complete God send, a Guardian Angel to be sure because no more than an hour into the flight and I was rushing to the bathroom to throw up. Orange juice, I assure you, doesn't taste as good coming up but it's still just as citrusy. The rest of the flight was some of the most miserable 11 hours of my life. I haven't been that sick since I had stomach flu. If I wasn't asleep I was getting airsick. The second time I lost my cookies was right as they were delivering dinner. The smell got to me and, being trapped by the window and a food cart, I had to use the airsick bag. It was humiliating! Luckily my seat partner/angel, Pollie, is a mom of two kids and it didn't bother her at all. She let me out as soon as she could. The third time was right out of sleep, in another airsick bag. The fourth time was 5 minuets before we landed. I didn't eat a single thing the whole flight and wasn't able to even keep water down. Pollie was very sweet and kept asking if I needed anything or if I was alright.
And that my dear family and friends is why I will never be leaving the island of Japan. I figure I can either marry a Japanese man or join a Yakuza gang if I get seriously desperate. Eww. . . just typing this all again is making me feel the airsickness. I hate flying!
I arrived safely a nice shade of pale green which worried one of the flight attendants who insisted a take some bottles of water off with me. I made it through customs but was very weak from not eating for almost 24 hours and completely sick that I couldn't really enjoy the knowledge that I was in Japan. I bumped into my Guardian Angel while picking up my bags and she wished me a final goodbye and good luck. I might give one of my children her name for a middle name. . .
I made it through everything without getting too lost but felt horrible the whole time. Japan is very warm right now and I fanned myself to cool down and realized that it didn't help at all because it's humid, not hot. So I'm experiencing my first time of humidity. The bus ride was fine but I mostly just sat still and tried not to throw up so I haven't really gotten to enjoy Japan life sadly. I found my university teachers easily and they took me to my host family by taxi. My taxi driver was crazy and, since the roads are all backwards here, extremely terrifying. But I made it safe and sound to my host families who, upon meeting them, I think I will love it here.
I'll write more about them later though. I'm feeling ill again and it's 2:12 AM so I should try to get back to sleep. Love to you all!
Special thanks to Naomi, Nathan, Yuka, Tamirrah, and Kendall for seeing me off at the airport.
Yuka, thanks for warning me about the toilets being very loud in airplanes. So startling!
Trevor, thanks again for letting me know about the 3rd bag. That was a life saver.
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