I awoke to the sound of a woman speaking. Usually when there is a female voice in the apartment, it is from a staff member. Considering the time of day it was, there was little chance that the owner of the voice would be any other. After going to check, I discovered that the cleaning lady had at long last came. We were especially looking forward to her arrival due to the fact that we had amassed a large quantity of trash over the weekend that needed to be removed from the area. As the cleaning lady performed her duties, I prepared for my journey to the school. Today was the first day of Japanese class.
Once I arrived at the campus, I made my way to the classroom. Upon entering the room, I noted the approximately fifteen seats arranged in a semi-circle formation. At the desk stood the teacher who was rapidly sorting through various papers. I chose to sit in the center seat as to gain a better perspective of the teacher and the board. Without saying a word, the teacher continued to sort through her papers until the class began.
As could be expected, the teacher began speaking purely in Japanese. It came as somewhat of a shock to me that I could actually understand what she was saying, especially since such had not been the case most of the time for the week I have been in Japan. We were given a class schedule and a review sheet. After we finished filling out an information sheet, the teacher allowed us to leave. I noticed that I felt a lot more in control of Japanese while in a classroom setting. This is probably because everything is tweaked to fit the particular level that the class is in, while actual Japanese conversation uses terms and phrases that one can learn only by actually conversing in Japanese. Despite my comfort, I went back into the real world.
Today was a special day. It was the day that I would finally get to meet my speaking partner Saki. Unfortunately, our meeting was scheduled to be at 1:00 - it was 11:30 when I got out of class. As I passed by the student lounge, I noticed my friend Kouichirou (the proper spelling) sitting there. With nothing else to do, I decided to intrude upon him for company. After sitting for awhile, he got up to go somewhere after asking me to watch his belongings. After a few minutes passed, he returned with his friend Mariko (the second Mariko I've met so far) with some food. Eventually, another friend, Yoshie, joined us. From there, we discussed things about cell phones and cultures. As I discovered, Japanese cell phones have the capability to transfer contact information via infrared light. I also had the chance to explain the difference between the term 'despite' and 'in spite' which was a fairly interesting puzzle to piece together. Soon enough, the time of my meeting came.
My first task was to make my first call to a person in Japan. Fortunately, the process was not to different than in America. The dial tone, however, was much softer and more playful than the harsh and cutting sound of the American tone. After confirming a meeting place and meeting there, I, Saki, and her friend Suzuka made our way to the cafeteria. Thus far, the only thing that I have eaten in the cafeteria has been udon noodles. This was because I did not know what to call anything else nor where to get each particular item. This time, I actually had a guide who could help me. I'm not really sure what I ended up getting, but it was good enough to get again if I ever figure out what it was.
We elected to eat outside where there was far less people and noise. Since my conversational Japanese and Saki's conversational English was not that good, we had to piece together broken concepts in order to communicate. We were soon joined by Suzuka's speaking partner, a Chinese girl from Canada who spoke Chinese, Japanese, and English, who went by the name Eilene. After some time passed, Saki produced a book from her bag that provided translations for common phrases. From there, I proceded to point out many of the oddities that the book had and explain why saying things in the presented way would be strange. After about two hours, Saki had to retire to the library to study for her political science test.
I returned to the dorm to begin some laundry. After awhile, I joined one of my roommates on a trip to the grocery store. This store was different than the one that I went to before, but still much smaller than the ones in America. The roommate sponsoring the trip was my least favorite of my roommates. After talking with him throughout the trip, I was able to confirm that my dislike toward him came only while he is drunk. While he is sober, all of his distasteful childish qualities tend to regress and I can hold a normal conversation with him.
One of my roommates, Daan (Holland name), got in trouble for hooking up his Playstation to the TV. The reasoning behind not doing so was because previous residents have damaged the TV connections from pulling out the cords wrong as well as the fact that games can deprive others of watching TV. No one in the apartment particularly minds others playing games, so that just leaves the liability issue. If we are to play any more games, Daan will have to take the case to the CIE dorm supervisor and get permission. His argument is that if he were to damage any of the other equipment that he would have to pay for it and the TV should be no different.
After completing my laundry, I worked on my Japanese review sheet so that I would not have to worry about so much work later. With a lot of free time left and most of my roommates going to get wasted, I decided to watch a movie that I brought with me. After that, I typed this blog.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
The Tone of the Bell
I was excited to be able to get real food again after a weekend of ramen. Once 11:00 came, I started my walk to the school cafeteria. This time I timed my journey so that I would know when to leave for any events at the school. Clocking in at about 20 minutes, I reached the campus. After I ate, I began preparing for my first day of class. We didn't have our Japanese class today since some people didn't go through the language lab training yet, so my first class was at 1:00.
All of the classes are on the fourth floor of the CIE building. After the tiresome climb or the long wait at the elevators, it is a simple matter of finding the correct door to enter. The classrooms themselves are small and fit about 30 people each. There are two entrances to the rooms, one door, and one sliding door that closes by itself. The desks are of adequate size and the room temperature can be altered by turning the heater on and off.
My first class, Culture and Everyday Life in Japan, began with the teacher handing out infomation sheets. As the professor talked, it sounded more and more like a typical college class. His lecture skills were somewhat lacking in terms of being interested. He used too many "um's" and spoke too slowly for my tastes. Nevertheless, I believe that it will be a good class after we get into the material. He went over the syllabus and schedule and then has each student introduce him/herself. Once all that was done, the class time was over.
After my first class, I immediately have my next class, Human Resource Management in Japan. The immediacy of the class is not too burdensome considering that it is located across the hall. It was in this class that I realized how my Monday and Thursday afternoons would go: I would reach the point of sleep in my first class and be woken up in my next class. This rollercoaster of awareness came about from the HR teacher being much more in tune with how to give a lecture. In fact, not only could he speak with a much more interesting tone, but he also expressed his desire to keep lectures at 20 minutes or less. After that point, he wants the class to enter discussion in order to progress through the class material.
To accentuate the idea of class participation, he gave us an assignment to interview someone in the class and present them to the class. My partner ended up being from France, hence making my ability to pronounce some of her details rather difficult. From what I can recall, her name was Aurore, which is pronounced no where near what an American would expect. Let's just say that even the teacher had a hard time pronouncing it and had to ask her assistance. After a slow paced interexchange of information, we waited to present and then did so.
Once classes were over, my next adventure was to figure out how to get the books for each class. The simple idea of a bookstore seems to elude the people at the CIE. In each class, the teacher distribues a slip of paper designating a book and its price. The students then have to make their way to the student affairs office and find a ticket vending machine. After inserting the proper amount of money, the student selects the ticket's amount and then takes the ticket back to the CIE. With the book slip and the ticket, the student hands the items to the worker in the book section of the office at which point the ticket is exchanged for the required book. I suppose that I should not complain about the complicated process, as the books were custom made for each particular class. Because of these customizations, the books are cheaply made and cheaply sold. For my two classes today, I spent ¥1,500 which is equivalent to about $12.50. I supsect that the actual textbook for Japanese class shall cost a bit more.
The rest of the night was fairly uneventful...
All of the classes are on the fourth floor of the CIE building. After the tiresome climb or the long wait at the elevators, it is a simple matter of finding the correct door to enter. The classrooms themselves are small and fit about 30 people each. There are two entrances to the rooms, one door, and one sliding door that closes by itself. The desks are of adequate size and the room temperature can be altered by turning the heater on and off.
My first class, Culture and Everyday Life in Japan, began with the teacher handing out infomation sheets. As the professor talked, it sounded more and more like a typical college class. His lecture skills were somewhat lacking in terms of being interested. He used too many "um's" and spoke too slowly for my tastes. Nevertheless, I believe that it will be a good class after we get into the material. He went over the syllabus and schedule and then has each student introduce him/herself. Once all that was done, the class time was over.
After my first class, I immediately have my next class, Human Resource Management in Japan. The immediacy of the class is not too burdensome considering that it is located across the hall. It was in this class that I realized how my Monday and Thursday afternoons would go: I would reach the point of sleep in my first class and be woken up in my next class. This rollercoaster of awareness came about from the HR teacher being much more in tune with how to give a lecture. In fact, not only could he speak with a much more interesting tone, but he also expressed his desire to keep lectures at 20 minutes or less. After that point, he wants the class to enter discussion in order to progress through the class material.
To accentuate the idea of class participation, he gave us an assignment to interview someone in the class and present them to the class. My partner ended up being from France, hence making my ability to pronounce some of her details rather difficult. From what I can recall, her name was Aurore, which is pronounced no where near what an American would expect. Let's just say that even the teacher had a hard time pronouncing it and had to ask her assistance. After a slow paced interexchange of information, we waited to present and then did so.
Once classes were over, my next adventure was to figure out how to get the books for each class. The simple idea of a bookstore seems to elude the people at the CIE. In each class, the teacher distribues a slip of paper designating a book and its price. The students then have to make their way to the student affairs office and find a ticket vending machine. After inserting the proper amount of money, the student selects the ticket's amount and then takes the ticket back to the CIE. With the book slip and the ticket, the student hands the items to the worker in the book section of the office at which point the ticket is exchanged for the required book. I suppose that I should not complain about the complicated process, as the books were custom made for each particular class. Because of these customizations, the books are cheaply made and cheaply sold. For my two classes today, I spent ¥1,500 which is equivalent to about $12.50. I supsect that the actual textbook for Japanese class shall cost a bit more.
The rest of the night was fairly uneventful...
It's Official
January 28
Today's major event was the dorm check-in. Up until this point, everyone living in the dorms was there based off of the school's goodwill towards those students who did not have their accommodations prepared. Having had ample time to pay fees, move into host family houses, and decide whether to stay in the dorms or get an apartment, the dormitory students now had to report to their caretaker that they wish to remain in their housing unit. Of course, this process produced more than just a simple check mark on a sheet of paper. Those who were successful in completing the registraion also received a key for thier room, their kitchen box, and the side gate to the dorm. The next step was to return to your room with a paper that would allow you to check your personal items and room for damages so they would not count against you if they were already damaged. After a very thorough inspection, I found a few marks and scuffs around the room, as well as a few objects missing from the picture of the room (that were obviously not supposed to be there considering that they were power outlets and such) that I reported accordingly. Naturally, my roommate was no where near as thorough and simply passed everything off. After returning the form, I was given new sheets for my bed.
Later today, the caretaker came up bearing gifts. It was at this time that our kitchen became more populated by an influx of pots, pans, and other cooking devices that most schools wouldn't care to purchase for the students. From there, I and my roommate Einar, one of the not crazy ones, proceeded to sort and put away all of the items for later use.
After a fair amount of time passed by, I decided that I needed to venture outside at least once today. I decided to locate the grocery store since I had not been there before. Fortunately, the simplistic directions to get to the store turned out to be as simple as they were spoken. It was at the grocery store that I discovered that Japanese food stores sell food - and nothing else. In America, it is common to find several hygenic items in a grocery store as well as some other various items, but in Japan, if you can't eat it, you can't buy it there. Despite still not being able to locate things like hand soap and laundry detergent, I looked at my possibilites available at the store. Usually, I am able to cook anything that has instructions. Being in Japan, the necessary parameter of being able to actually read the instructions proved unattainable. I didn't want to leave with just my normal slew of ramen and goodies, so I got a pack of frozen rice with shrimp.
Fortunately, I did not have to be able to read the instructions in order to pan heat the frozen rice. I did find that the quantity of food within the pack was somewhat disappointing though. After dinner, the evening consisted of two of my roommates getting drunk and putting on a somewhat disturbing show for the rest of us. I was able to retire to my room to sleep before anything wild happened.
Today's major event was the dorm check-in. Up until this point, everyone living in the dorms was there based off of the school's goodwill towards those students who did not have their accommodations prepared. Having had ample time to pay fees, move into host family houses, and decide whether to stay in the dorms or get an apartment, the dormitory students now had to report to their caretaker that they wish to remain in their housing unit. Of course, this process produced more than just a simple check mark on a sheet of paper. Those who were successful in completing the registraion also received a key for thier room, their kitchen box, and the side gate to the dorm. The next step was to return to your room with a paper that would allow you to check your personal items and room for damages so they would not count against you if they were already damaged. After a very thorough inspection, I found a few marks and scuffs around the room, as well as a few objects missing from the picture of the room (that were obviously not supposed to be there considering that they were power outlets and such) that I reported accordingly. Naturally, my roommate was no where near as thorough and simply passed everything off. After returning the form, I was given new sheets for my bed.
Later today, the caretaker came up bearing gifts. It was at this time that our kitchen became more populated by an influx of pots, pans, and other cooking devices that most schools wouldn't care to purchase for the students. From there, I and my roommate Einar, one of the not crazy ones, proceeded to sort and put away all of the items for later use.
After a fair amount of time passed by, I decided that I needed to venture outside at least once today. I decided to locate the grocery store since I had not been there before. Fortunately, the simplistic directions to get to the store turned out to be as simple as they were spoken. It was at the grocery store that I discovered that Japanese food stores sell food - and nothing else. In America, it is common to find several hygenic items in a grocery store as well as some other various items, but in Japan, if you can't eat it, you can't buy it there. Despite still not being able to locate things like hand soap and laundry detergent, I looked at my possibilites available at the store. Usually, I am able to cook anything that has instructions. Being in Japan, the necessary parameter of being able to actually read the instructions proved unattainable. I didn't want to leave with just my normal slew of ramen and goodies, so I got a pack of frozen rice with shrimp.
Fortunately, I did not have to be able to read the instructions in order to pan heat the frozen rice. I did find that the quantity of food within the pack was somewhat disappointing though. After dinner, the evening consisted of two of my roommates getting drunk and putting on a somewhat disturbing show for the rest of us. I was able to retire to my room to sleep before anything wild happened.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Saturday - A Day of Rest
----As a second reminder, the older posts are on the bottom----
As most people find on Saturdays, school did not have much call for me. I stayed at the dorm until after lunch, at which point, I went to the CIE to get my class schedule. Since the schedule was hard to read, I used the computer lab to reformat the list for easier reading. After I made my schedule, I found that my speaking partner had finally emailed me. Apparently, she had emailed me sometime last week, but I apparently did not receive it. I figured that email was a shaky way to communicate, so I wanted to give her my phone number. The problem with that was that the number on my phone was slightly different from the number in my phone details! I did not want to give her a wrong number, so I started to look for someone who could test the number for me. As if by an amazing stretch of luck, I found none other than the Japanese student who I helped with English a few days before! I explained my problem to him and we used his phone to discover my real number. Apparently, the number provided by the phone rental company was wrong. After we got the phone problem settled, I talked with the Japanese student for awhile. After adding him to my phone, I was finally able to retain his name - Koichiro (co-itchy-row). We talked until he had to go home, after which I sent my number to my speaking partner.
Before I left, I asked the student at the computer helpdesk why I did not have internet yet. As it turns out, someone did not take my information form to the media center in order to complete the registration yesterday. He assured me that it would be taken today and that I should have internet by this evening. Happy that I had an explanation, I went back to the dorms.
The next portion of my day was dedicated to doing my laundry. The machines cost ¥200 to wash and ¥100 to dry. As expected, the dryers take more than one go in order to work. After I placed my clothes in the washing machine, I came back to my room to find more change, when I discovered that I had internet at last! From there, I continued my laundry as I caught up with my blog. I discovered that the best way to do the laundry is to do three days worth of clothing per wash. I would separate the load into two groups: One with all the shirts, a pair of pants, and any undergarments, and one with two pairs of pants and all the socks. From there, two drying cycles would finish the laundry process. The net cost of the work is ¥600, which is roughly $5.
By the time the laundry was done, it was getting dark. At this point in my trip, I do not like venturing out in the dark unless I know where I want to go, so I stayed inside. After making dinner and hanging out with some of my roommates, the night came to a close.
The Journey
January 26 - Part 2
Hello again! This being the first blog that I am typing with a working internet connection, I would like to remind all of the readers that the older posts are located toward the bottom of the page. If you start reading the blog from the top, it probably will not make sense since you won't have the background from the first posts.
Today I had very little that I had to do. After waking up, I prepared to walk to the school so I could pick up my laptop. I had to leave it at the school so that they could register it for internet use and update the security features on it. After retrieving the laptop, I took it back to the dorm so I would not have to carry it around all day again. For lunch, I went back to campus and ordered more udon noodles with an addition of tempura (fried food) and rice. Having eaten, I went to the CIE office to turn in some information that they requested.
Some of the students had signed up to take a tour to Kyoto today. I was not among that group since I did not know if today would be as busy as the previous days. Since I was not busy, I asked if I could still sign up. I was informed that signing up would not be necessary and that I can just wait outside the CIE with the rest of the students who were going. Outside, we were asked to form groups of six. I joined a group with one of my friends. We were then met by a Japanese tour guide named Takaki who took our group to Kyoto.
The beginning of the journey required us to walk to the train station. Once we got there, I got to see how strange, yet efficient the Japanese train system was. Instead of a person in a ticket booth, there were little machines that we selected the amount for the fare and inserted required money in order to get a ticket. From there, the ticket was inserted into another machine at the entrance of the station and picked up on the other side of the machine. Once we reached the trains, we boarded one and didn't have to show anyone the ticket. Once the train reached a certain station, we got off and boarded another train. It was at this point that I knew that I would be eternally lost without Takaki guiding us. On this train, I sat with Takaki and discussed various cultural issues with him during the ride. After we reached a certain station, we again switched trains. Onced this last train stopped, we got off at our destination.
In Kyushu, we headed to a temple in order to sight-see. The experience is easier to explain with the pictures that are soon to be made available to you as a reader. Once we climbed up several hills and steps, it was getting very dark out. We had to go back to the station since it would be difficult to keep climbing in the dark. We took one train over to a station and then looked for someplace to eat.
We decided to eat at a small Japanese restaurant that specialized in pork dishes. The restaurant had traditional Japanese tables and sitting cushions as well as counter-space to eat your food. The menu was completely handwritten in Japanese with only the names of the dishes and no descriptions. Obviously, without Takaki there, I would not have been able to order without pointing at something and hoping it was something I would like. Once the food arrived, I was faced with a somewhat strange looking dish. I was never able to remember the name of it though. Despite its odd appearance, I enjoyed eating it. After we finished and paid, we finished the train rides back home. Takaki left us at the bus stop to the school with an apology for the trip being so short. Of course, it was not his fault that the CIE chose to make the trip at 2PM, but the Japanese way is to apologise for things when they don't go according to hopes.
After the bus ride, I went to the store with some friends. I ran across an intriguing cake-like thing at the store that was very good. Back at the dorms, several of my roommates were planning to go out at 10:30PM for a night at the town. Turning down their offer to join them, I ended my night at a reasonable time. They ended theirs at 8AM the next morning.
Hello again! This being the first blog that I am typing with a working internet connection, I would like to remind all of the readers that the older posts are located toward the bottom of the page. If you start reading the blog from the top, it probably will not make sense since you won't have the background from the first posts.
Today I had very little that I had to do. After waking up, I prepared to walk to the school so I could pick up my laptop. I had to leave it at the school so that they could register it for internet use and update the security features on it. After retrieving the laptop, I took it back to the dorm so I would not have to carry it around all day again. For lunch, I went back to campus and ordered more udon noodles with an addition of tempura (fried food) and rice. Having eaten, I went to the CIE office to turn in some information that they requested.
Some of the students had signed up to take a tour to Kyoto today. I was not among that group since I did not know if today would be as busy as the previous days. Since I was not busy, I asked if I could still sign up. I was informed that signing up would not be necessary and that I can just wait outside the CIE with the rest of the students who were going. Outside, we were asked to form groups of six. I joined a group with one of my friends. We were then met by a Japanese tour guide named Takaki who took our group to Kyoto.
The beginning of the journey required us to walk to the train station. Once we got there, I got to see how strange, yet efficient the Japanese train system was. Instead of a person in a ticket booth, there were little machines that we selected the amount for the fare and inserted required money in order to get a ticket. From there, the ticket was inserted into another machine at the entrance of the station and picked up on the other side of the machine. Once we reached the trains, we boarded one and didn't have to show anyone the ticket. Once the train reached a certain station, we got off and boarded another train. It was at this point that I knew that I would be eternally lost without Takaki guiding us. On this train, I sat with Takaki and discussed various cultural issues with him during the ride. After we reached a certain station, we again switched trains. Onced this last train stopped, we got off at our destination.
In Kyushu, we headed to a temple in order to sight-see. The experience is easier to explain with the pictures that are soon to be made available to you as a reader. Once we climbed up several hills and steps, it was getting very dark out. We had to go back to the station since it would be difficult to keep climbing in the dark. We took one train over to a station and then looked for someplace to eat.
We decided to eat at a small Japanese restaurant that specialized in pork dishes. The restaurant had traditional Japanese tables and sitting cushions as well as counter-space to eat your food. The menu was completely handwritten in Japanese with only the names of the dishes and no descriptions. Obviously, without Takaki there, I would not have been able to order without pointing at something and hoping it was something I would like. Once the food arrived, I was faced with a somewhat strange looking dish. I was never able to remember the name of it though. Despite its odd appearance, I enjoyed eating it. After we finished and paid, we finished the train rides back home. Takaki left us at the bus stop to the school with an apology for the trip being so short. Of course, it was not his fault that the CIE chose to make the trip at 2PM, but the Japanese way is to apologise for things when they don't go according to hopes.
After the bus ride, I went to the store with some friends. I ran across an intriguing cake-like thing at the store that was very good. Back at the dorms, several of my roommates were planning to go out at 10:30PM for a night at the town. Turning down their offer to join them, I ended my night at a reasonable time. They ended theirs at 8AM the next morning.
A Note on My Roommates
January 26 - Part 1
I have been placed with a very interesting crew at the dorms. It seems that just about all of them enjoy smoking, drinking, and being promiscuous as often as possible. These interests are in direct contrast with mine, which makes for an interesting experience. In fact, yesterday, one of them listed the above interests along with my unwillingness to participate in them and proclaimed that he didn’t know how to hang out with me. Apart from him, however, the others do not seem to have difficulty getting along with me as long as they continue to respect my lifestyle. Overall, I am entertained by them behaviors as it seems to incase much of the things that I have been taught to look down upon.
Even more interesting, I discovered yesterday that my roommate did not like me because of our clash of interests. It seems that he is the type of person who believes that friendship can be reached only by having common interests. This information was surprising to me, as he gave no indication that he disliked me. Such news was disclosed only after he changed his mind. He discovered that both of us have played a game that he used to love, and hence, the necessary common ground was found and he decided to like me. Such a turn of events simply continued to amuse me.
Making My Way
January 25
Today, my plan was to get to the bank when it opened at 9AM to get my money, pay my fees, and register for my classes by 11AM, my designated time to register. I asked one of my roommates how to get to the bus stop. It was at this point that I learned the error of my ways. I had learned the “shortcut” way to get to the school, but the bus stop was located on the normal way to the school. I was fortunate to find others on their way to the school via the normal way, as I would have again been lost had they not been around. Having found the bus stop, I waited for the bus and boarded it upon arrival. As the bus drove, a Japanese voice announced the stops. Of course, I couldn’t understand any of what she said. When the bus passed by the school, there was a portion of the announcement that was in English, which I was glad to hear considering my return trip. Once the bus reached what looked like my destination, I asked one of the passengers (with confidence in my Japanese regained) if it was the stop. Gaining an affirmative answer, I headed to the exit of the bus, deposited the bus fee, and exited the bus. The next step consisted of finding the correct direction to travel in order to find the bank. I was glad to find that my first guess was correct.
In the bank, I was greeted by one of the staff. With no idea how to say traveler’s checks in Japanese, I showed him what I needed and he directed me to the second floor. On the second floor, I waited for another American student to finish doing the same thing I was about to do. The woman at the counter did not speak English, so we played around with individual words in order to communicate. After a fairly simple transaction of words, I then had to begin signing my thirty-some checks. After I signed everything, I was asked to wait and then I was given my money.
Next, I had to get back to the school. Not having any more change for the bus, I thought I might try walking back. After deciding that absolutely nothing looked familiar, I went back to the bus station. I began looking around for a store where I could purchase a drink fairly easily since I was thirsty and I needed change. After finally finding one, I was able to go to the bus station to find the right bus. I again brought out my Japanese to ask someone if the bus went to the school. After learning that it did, I boarded and got off at my stop with no trouble.
Arriving at the school, my next feat was to find the Shomu office in order to pay. I was pretty much at the last minute in terms of the time schedule by the time I got there, but I was able to pay with no trouble. Next, I made my way to the registration room. There was a fairly long line. Registration was done by lottery and although my number was quite high, everyone else in the line had a higher number since I was a little late. Because of this, I was able to skip the line and register. As I later found out, since they didn’t say that I couldn’t sign up for anything, that means that I should get all of my classes. That means that I will be taking Human Resource Management in
Finally arriving at my first span of free time during the day, I decided to figure out how to order at the cafeteria. I ran into someone I met on the bus to the school the first day who offered to let me sit with her group. Before doing that, I went to the cafeteria where I ordered some udon noodles and a drink. I had to pay ¥240, which was much better than the ¥580 that I paid at the McDonalds. Not only that, but the meal was quite good. I believe that I shall be eating there from here on out.
I spent some time in the student lounge in the CIE building to continue typing my blog so I could post it. While I was working, a Japanese student behind me asked for some help with his English homework because he could not understand why he got the answers wrong. His question pertained to why saying ‘attending to’ class was wrong and just ‘attending’ class was correct. I described how attend essentially means to ‘go to’ something, which means that ‘to’ is kind of built into the word. I elaborated by explaining in which situations ‘attending to’ would be used. He then asked why saying the store remained ‘close’ was wrong since the word was preceded by an ‘ed’ word. I explained that ‘closed’ was more of a status than a tensed word. I had fun explaining the oddities of English to the Japanese student and I look forward to any more questions that may come up.
The rest of the day consisted of a series of meetings/orientations. After the last meeting, I went to check my mailbox for my class schedule form that was supposed to be delivered by then. I found that I did not have one, but it seemed that everyone else did. When I inquired about why the schedule was missing, they found out that when I went to register, I seemed to have skipped the actual registration step because I thought that the lady told me to skip one of the tables when she pointed out where to go next. Miraculously, none of my classes were full and so I got into all of them anyway.
After securing my schedule, I made my next venture to find a store in
Round and Round I Go
January 24
In the morning, I became better aware of how the rooming situation was set up. There are six rooms with two people each. These twelve people share a centrally located bathroom, living room, and kitchen. The bathroom has two toilets, two showers, and three sinks. The kitchen is not equipped with all of its instruments yet because the school does not want the temporary homestay students at the dorms to cause any problems for the actual residents. The living room is the main area that the residents like to meet. It has a fair-sized TV and a large couch.
Once people started to wake up, the main topic was about attending the general meeting that was scheduled soon. I had no idea how to reach the school yet, so I made sure to tag along with some of the people who were going. I was able to learn how to reach the school by paying attention to where we turned. Once the meeting was over, I had to stay for the Japanese placement test. It became apparent that the test would not be as easy as I thought since I never used any textbooks for my Japanese classes and the test was based on the textbooks. After the test, it became evident just how much Japanese I didn’t know. Feeling separated in full by the language barrier, I was unable to get myself to speak any Japanese for the rest of the day. Despite this inhibition, I still needed to find out how to pay my fees. After going to the Center for International Education (CIE), I asked one of the English speaking people if I could pay with traveler’s checks. I was told that I could pay only in yen and I would have to go to the bank in order to cash the checks. I tried to get directions of how to walk to the bank. After walking for a good, long while, I decided that I was lost at that point and I walked back to campus.
Knowing that I had to pay my fees before I could register the next day, I needed to find a way to the bank. Before I could do that, however, I had to fix another problem: I was hungry and I didn’t know where to go. I was about to venture out in the town to try to find something that looked like food, but as I was heading back the way I came, I noticed people eating. I went to explore the area and I found a cafeteria and a McDonalds. Being that my Japanese was in a temporary stasis, I decided to explore the McDonalds to see what they had. I noticed only a few differences in the menu. As I was attempting to get my food, an English speaking worker came to help me order. Having made my first successful transaction in
After I finished eating, I went back to the dorms to get my passport, which I figured out that I needed to cash my checks. Next, I asked the dorm supervisor how to get to the bank. The supervisor did not speak English, so I used a few Japanese terms. She told me to go to the bus stop and take bus #12 at ¥220 a trip. All I had left to do was find the bus stop. I was unsuccessful in doing so, but while I was searching, I found my airplane buddy who told me that the bank was closed now (3PM) anyway. Tired and out of ideas, I went back to the dorm where I stayed the rest of the day since my legs were shot from all the walking.
Departure and Arrival for Two Nights in a Row
January 22 – 23
Greetings one and all from
The trip to
After waking up, I began making my final preparations to make sure that I was ready to leave. Once 3AM came around, Dad drove me to the GROOME service that would take me to
The flight was on what, to me, was a big plane. The plane sat five people in a row in groups of three and two. I was on the aisle seat of the three grouped seats. From what I gathered, the first-class passengers were separated from the economy-class passengers (such as myself) by a thin, blue curtain. After the plane took off, the flight attendants came by to offer free pretzels and a drink. More than happy to partake, I quenched my thirst with a can of apple juice. After that point, I stared at a movie for two hours. I say ‘stared’ because I was still somewhat drugged from the Nyquil that I took the night before to assist me in going to sleep so early, and I found it difficult to pay attention to the movie. Once the movie was over, there wasn’t much to do for the next several hours except listen to the radio provided by the airline. After what seemed like an eternity, the plane finally reached
In
The flight was on what, to me, redefined what I thought a big plane was. Seating nine people in a row with a very distinguishable class separation, I found my to the designated area that was about three fourths of the plane back. The seats were grouped as two, five, and two with aisles in between each group. My seat happened to be in the middle of the group of five. That meant that I would have to crawl over two people to go to the restroom no matter which way I went. Surprisingly, the person to the right of me seemingly asked for a seat change, leaving only one person on that side of me. On my other side, I discovered that the girl next to me was going to the same school that I was. This did not surprise me, as expected to find someone who was. Her plan for the flight was to be knocked out by taking some Tylenol PM. Still somewhat woozy from my Nyquil, I did not wish to partake in such a plan.
Before the plane took off, it sat at the runway for a long time. The pilot finally informed us that there were mechanical problems that had to be fixed before takeoff. Finally, we were in the air. My school buddy warned me to avoid the airline food, but having eaten nothing but pretzels and a small box of cereal over the last twelve hours, I decided to take my chances. The food could have been considered quite repugnant had I not been starved. It was as if it had been dried, frozen, and then reheated in a microwave five times. It was nice to actually eat something though.
The plane gave each person their own personal TV on the back of the seat in front of them. The TVs came with several channels that you could switch to as desired. Each person also had a radio that could be accessed from the same console. My favorite feature, however, was the GPS map of where the plane was flying over. It showed us on the map and gave accurate times and mileage to the destination. After reality showed me that we wouldn’t be moving very fast on the map, I decided to try to sleep on the plane. Never actually reaching the point of sleep, I returned to being fully aware of my surroundings and sought some entertainment. I found entertainment in my MP3 player, which I listened to for awhile before trying to sleep again. I was almost successful in falling asleep that time, but I reached a point in the music where one song ended and the next song started with a sharp jolt that brought me back to the plane. At that point, I decided that it was time to ask the one person on my left to let me out so I could go to the restroom that had a steady flow of visitors ever since dinner. After I returned to my seat, the person who had to move for me decided to go off with one of his friends in another section of the plane for a long time. I tried using the empty seat next to me to increase my comfort for sleeping, but I was vastly unsuccessful in doing so. Not knowing when the other person might come back, I could not use his seat to completely lie down.
The rest of the flight pretty much consisted of me attempting to go to sleep and eventually watching a movie. At long last, we neared our destination. With about an hour to spare, the flight attendants began to bus out dinner. I wasn’t particularly hungry since I had been snacking on some boxes of cereal that I brought with me, but I decided to partake of the meal so it would take up some time. The meal was of no better quality, but the fruit was good since they didn’t have to make it.
We finally landed in
After getting settled, I went on a tour around the area. Unfortunately, I was too tired to recall anywhere we went. During the tour, I got to talk with some of the Japanese people on the tour. I asked a few cultural questions and pointed out a few differences between cultures. One of the main differences that any American would instantly see is the fact that cars drive on the left side of the road instead of the right. Seeing such things simply pointed out that I wasn’t in
By the time the tour was over, I was ready to actually sleep. After two bus rides, a five hour flight, and an eleven hour flight, all with practically no sleep; I was ready to fall over for the night. When I got back to the dorm, I noticed that there was no one there. Such being the case, I took the time to explore my new home. The first trick was getting the lights to turn on in my room. As I later found out, the green light on the switch is for finding the switch in the dark, and the green light turns off after the lights are activated. The trick is that the lights take a second to power up. Because of the power up time, I was lost as to how to activate the lights because of the other switch above the light switch which I now know activates the heating unit. The showers are different as well. The temperature is controlled by a degree-labeled knob and the water is turned on by its own knob. The shower itself is a detachable wand with two holders for a tall person and a short person. Right outside the shower, there is a changing area that is designed to drain any residual water. The toilet has an interest device as well. At first, the operation of the toilet is no different than in
I was finally ready to sleep. The bed consisted of two two-inch mattresses with sheets, a fuzzy blanket, and a comforter. The pillow was very firm, but still comfortable. After I slept for awhile, the other roommates returned. After a few minutes, they retired to bed as well. From there, I slept until morning.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Why Japan?
This post comes from an edited section of an email that I sent someone. Enjoy!
First of all, lets look at my application essay.
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It is often quite difficult to understand why some people act differently than others. Having grown up in America and never leaving its shores, I have not had the opportunity to discover first hand why other cultures perform their daily tasks differently than Americans. I personally strive to see all people as equal and in order to do that, I must gain a perspective on how a different culture acts and why they do what they do. Japan, a country that I have been interested in for some time now, would serve as an excellent setting for me to learn about a different culture, which would also allow me to better understand diversity so that I may teach others that ‘different does not mean unequal.’
I am interested to learn and observe three main things about Japan itself including the language, society, and marketplace. I have taken six courses in the Japanese language over my high school and college career as well as an additional course that I will be taking this fall so I may practice the language before I visit Japan. Classes in a language can do only so much, though, as it is far more educational to witness a language being used in its home country. I seek to learn to speak, interpret and perhaps even read Japanese during my visit. Through these language skills, I can gain international acquaintances as well as opportunities in the business world.
I have heard that the Japanese society has a high sense of community, which brings them to look out for each other and be friendlier in general. This form of atmosphere intrigues me, as it displays the sense of equality that I seek. A few summers ago, I attended the Governor’s Honors Program, which gathered the brightest high school minds together for a six week period in order to have a college-like learning experience. During GHP, I noticed that virtually everyone greeted each other as they passed by whether they knew the person or not. After returning home from GHP, I found that hardly anyone would even acknowledge another person’s presence unless they knew him/her. I am interested to see how much the Japanese society differs from the American society by observing how they interact with each other. Though I do not expect to see everyone greeting each other, I hope to find the kinder atmosphere that I have heard about from my teachers.
Having seen various advertisements from Japan, I can tell that the marketplace in Japan is vastly different than the marketplace in America. Being in the school of business, I believe that understanding how a foreign market works will help me gain a better understanding of how businesses work worldwide. I am interested to observe how our cultural differences change the products on their market such as toys, foods, and technological devices. Gaining an understanding of the differences between Japanese and American products will help me learn more about the Japanese culture and understand how different countries have different needs.
My ultimate objective of visiting Japan is to learn to understand the differences between other cultures and learn to accept those differences as an equivalent way of life. I foresee my stay in Japan to be extremely educational (as well as fun) in not only what I have written about, but much more. I expect my journey to be a memorable experience that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. After my return, I trust that I will strive to get others to venture outside of their country’s boundaries to experience the same things for themselves.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Though many view essays as an opportunity to test their BSing skills, I am proud to say that every word of my essay reflects my interest in Japan. I like knowing that I was accepted to the program through my genuine interests without having to embellish the truth in order to sound more applicable to them.
Apart from the items in my essay, I would like to speak about my history in terms of Japan. In my freshmen year of high school, I was faced with the decision of which language I would choose to take the following year. I knew that Spanish would not be a good choice considering that most people would take that language under the assumption that it was ‘easy to learn.’ I knew that the large Spanish class roster would cause the teachers to ensure that their class would not be as easy as the students hoped. With Spanish out of the picture, I had to choose between German, Latin, and Japanese. Latin had no practical use in my eyes since it was not spoken by any culture anymore and German did not seem as intriguing as Japanese did, so I chose to take Japanese. As my lessons in Japanese began, I found that I was in a bit of a learning curve. After I got over hurdle of proper pronunciation and the very basics of grammar, I quickly soared to the top of my class. It was at that point that my aspirations to visit Japan began.
I was also getting into some Japanese music at the time. I enjoyed hearing music that was slightly different than the music common to the United States. Even now, I have a vast collection of foreign music ranging from many different countries. As with most Japanese language students, I also had my interests in anime, however, I have always prided myself on not taking Japanese for the sake of anime. In fact, I only find interest in a handful of anime today.
My main interest in Japan right now is their culture. From what I understand, Japan has a more ‘ceremonial’ view on how they conduct themselves even in their more casual moments. I am interested to observe these differences and figure out why they were implemented by their culture. I am of course delighted that I will get the chance to do so.
Next, I would like to move on to the specifics about my stay at Kansai Gaidai. To start, I will be staying in the dorms at the school. There were two main factors that led me to decide to stay in the dorms. I currently live at home with my family and commute to school each day. Whenever I go somewhere, they want to know what, when, and where each of my activities are. I did not want to feel like I was still at home while I am in Japan , and I felt that living with a Japanese family would simulate my experience at home. I am also not able to eat breakfast because I become ill if I eat too soon after waking up. Since I would have to pay for breakfast by staying with a family, I would be wasting money. These two things made me choose to stay in the dorms.
Being in the dorms, however, has opened the option of still having a Japanese family to visit periodically. I have already applied for the program as well as a program to match me with a Japanese student to ‘buddy up’ with during my stay. In terms of the dorms, I have indicated my preference to stay in the ‘apartment-style’ dorms in Seminar House III. I liked the idea of sharing the bathroom with one person instead of fifteen.
My stay in Japan is being paid for pretty much in full by various scholarships that I have allotted. Let’s just say that the essay I attached had more than one use. Because I have an excess of savings for the trip, I purchased a digital camera and a laptop so I could easily record my experiences in Japan both in literature and photographically.
That should start you off in knowing the purpose of the trip. Cheers!
First of all, lets look at my application essay.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is often quite difficult to understand why some people act differently than others. Having grown up in America and never leaving its shores, I have not had the opportunity to discover first hand why other cultures perform their daily tasks differently than Americans. I personally strive to see all people as equal and in order to do that, I must gain a perspective on how a different culture acts and why they do what they do. Japan, a country that I have been interested in for some time now, would serve as an excellent setting for me to learn about a different culture, which would also allow me to better understand diversity so that I may teach others that ‘different does not mean unequal.’
I am interested to learn and observe three main things about Japan itself including the language, society, and marketplace. I have taken six courses in the Japanese language over my high school and college career as well as an additional course that I will be taking this fall so I may practice the language before I visit Japan. Classes in a language can do only so much, though, as it is far more educational to witness a language being used in its home country. I seek to learn to speak, interpret and perhaps even read Japanese during my visit. Through these language skills, I can gain international acquaintances as well as opportunities in the business world.
I have heard that the Japanese society has a high sense of community, which brings them to look out for each other and be friendlier in general. This form of atmosphere intrigues me, as it displays the sense of equality that I seek. A few summers ago, I attended the Governor’s Honors Program, which gathered the brightest high school minds together for a six week period in order to have a college-like learning experience. During GHP, I noticed that virtually everyone greeted each other as they passed by whether they knew the person or not. After returning home from GHP, I found that hardly anyone would even acknowledge another person’s presence unless they knew him/her. I am interested to see how much the Japanese society differs from the American society by observing how they interact with each other. Though I do not expect to see everyone greeting each other, I hope to find the kinder atmosphere that I have heard about from my teachers.
Having seen various advertisements from Japan, I can tell that the marketplace in Japan is vastly different than the marketplace in America. Being in the school of business, I believe that understanding how a foreign market works will help me gain a better understanding of how businesses work worldwide. I am interested to observe how our cultural differences change the products on their market such as toys, foods, and technological devices. Gaining an understanding of the differences between Japanese and American products will help me learn more about the Japanese culture and understand how different countries have different needs.
My ultimate objective of visiting Japan is to learn to understand the differences between other cultures and learn to accept those differences as an equivalent way of life. I foresee my stay in Japan to be extremely educational (as well as fun) in not only what I have written about, but much more. I expect my journey to be a memorable experience that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. After my return, I trust that I will strive to get others to venture outside of their country’s boundaries to experience the same things for themselves.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Though many view essays as an opportunity to test their BSing skills, I am proud to say that every word of my essay reflects my interest in Japan. I like knowing that I was accepted to the program through my genuine interests without having to embellish the truth in order to sound more applicable to them.
Apart from the items in my essay, I would like to speak about my history in terms of Japan. In my freshmen year of high school, I was faced with the decision of which language I would choose to take the following year. I knew that Spanish would not be a good choice considering that most people would take that language under the assumption that it was ‘easy to learn.’ I knew that the large Spanish class roster would cause the teachers to ensure that their class would not be as easy as the students hoped. With Spanish out of the picture, I had to choose between German, Latin, and Japanese. Latin had no practical use in my eyes since it was not spoken by any culture anymore and German did not seem as intriguing as Japanese did, so I chose to take Japanese. As my lessons in Japanese began, I found that I was in a bit of a learning curve. After I got over hurdle of proper pronunciation and the very basics of grammar, I quickly soared to the top of my class. It was at that point that my aspirations to visit Japan began.
I was also getting into some Japanese music at the time. I enjoyed hearing music that was slightly different than the music common to the United States. Even now, I have a vast collection of foreign music ranging from many different countries. As with most Japanese language students, I also had my interests in anime, however, I have always prided myself on not taking Japanese for the sake of anime. In fact, I only find interest in a handful of anime today.
My main interest in Japan right now is their culture. From what I understand, Japan has a more ‘ceremonial’ view on how they conduct themselves even in their more casual moments. I am interested to observe these differences and figure out why they were implemented by their culture. I am of course delighted that I will get the chance to do so.
Next, I would like to move on to the specifics about my stay at Kansai Gaidai. To start, I will be staying in the dorms at the school. There were two main factors that led me to decide to stay in the dorms. I currently live at home with my family and commute to school each day. Whenever I go somewhere, they want to know what, when, and where each of my activities are. I did not want to feel like I was still at home while I am in Japan , and I felt that living with a Japanese family would simulate my experience at home. I am also not able to eat breakfast because I become ill if I eat too soon after waking up. Since I would have to pay for breakfast by staying with a family, I would be wasting money. These two things made me choose to stay in the dorms.
Being in the dorms, however, has opened the option of still having a Japanese family to visit periodically. I have already applied for the program as well as a program to match me with a Japanese student to ‘buddy up’ with during my stay. In terms of the dorms, I have indicated my preference to stay in the ‘apartment-style’ dorms in Seminar House III. I liked the idea of sharing the bathroom with one person instead of fifteen.
My stay in Japan is being paid for pretty much in full by various scholarships that I have allotted. Let’s just say that the essay I attached had more than one use. Because I have an excess of savings for the trip, I purchased a digital camera and a laptop so I could easily record my experiences in Japan both in literature and photographically.
That should start you off in knowing the purpose of the trip. Cheers!
Two Days To Go With a Lot of Catching Up To Do
Hello and welcome to my live action blog/web journal for my travels in Japan. The goal of this journal is to record my experiences for each day that I am away which will total roughly 116 posts. I give no promises that I will be able to make a post each and every day as that can become quite cumbersome as events stack - much less that I might have something interesting to say each day. I shall do my best though.
I would like to start by catching the readers of this digest up to how I reached this day of two days before departure. As with any large undertaking, there was a previous large undertaking required to gain access to the current large undertaking. What do I mean? Applications. I will be attending the Asian Studies Program at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Like any institution hosting a large, competitive program, there was a rather in-depth application that had to be completed. Let us explore the joys of the application by breaking down its components and explaining what I had to do for each one:
Application for Admission - This consisted of an editable PDF file that you could enter your information via keyboard. Despite the ease and clarity of typing the information, the file could not be saved and thus you had to fill out the entire form and print it in one sitting; otherwise, you would have to start over. Once you finish filling out the tiresome application, you come upon a request for an essay - an essay that a person who just filled out an application would not want to write at that time. More importantly, the essay would be the determinant of whether you will be accepted to the program, so it could not simply be thrown together. Once these items are completed, you can print the application out and guard it with your life as to not need to fill it out again.
Housing Questionnaire - As if one application was not enough, you also have to complete the housing questionnaire so the school will know whether they will have a suitable place to keep you during your stay. The questionnaire essentially asks whether you want to stay in the school dormitories or participate in the homestay program with a Japanese family. From there, it asks compatibility questions to best match you with the most compatible person/people. For homestay participants, there is yet another essay.
Transcripts of Records - This is very simply a transcript of your grades. It's just another thing to take care of for the application.
Three Letters of Recommendation - The letters of recommendation are to come from three of your teachers. College professors, with their busy schedules, would obviously cause an applicant worry about how soon the letters will be done. Teacher selection must be done through careful consideration, not only by who will give good remarks, but by who will be timely about completing the letters. It was recommended by the school to include teachers from Japan-related classes.
Japanese Instructor's Reference Form - This form is not required, but if you have taken classes in Japanese, this form is requested. This is essentially another letter of recommendation.
Medical Information Form - This form is to notify the school of any medical issues that you may have. What one would think an easy task was no stroll in the park for me. As I discovered, I had not seen my doctor in so long that I was no longer listed as a patient. That meant that I had to act as a new patient and fill out all of the necessary forms. After that, a simple "sign this paper" turned into "you have to get blood tests to prove you don't have HIV." This being a first-time blood drawing, I was in for a treat. The real trick, however, was getting the signed paper back since I was at school and work until their office closed. Now that it's all over, I'm pretty sure that I will lose my patient status again before I go back.
Confidential Financial Questionnaire - This form is to ensure that the school will not accept people who cannot pay for the program. Since I had a whole line of scholarships lined up for me, I had no worry about passing this test.
Ten Identification Photographs - Such a simple request can turn sour real quick when they ask for specially sized photos. In preparation for the program in case I was accepted, I went to CVS Pharmacy to get 16 passport sized photos. From there, I had to hand cut each of the 10 photos to the measurement specifications.
Having done all of that work for half a semester, I was quite pleased to learn that I was accepted to the program. Of course, long undertakings are never as short as they seem and there was still much more work to be done. Since I would be attending the program, I had to get permission to go to the country in which it is being held. In order to do that, first you have to have a passport. With the photos from the application still handy, the passport was a simple application and $97 fee away. Strangely enough, half of the fee had to be paid with check or money order, so I got to learn how to get a money order. After finally receiving the passport, I had to make my way to the Japanese consulate in Atlanta (about a two hour drive). Being that I'm not an expert navigator, I had to find a day that both I and my dad could take off from school/work to go to Atlanta. With the end of the year approaching, Dad began to take several days off to kill off his vacation time that would disappear otherwise. With that convenience, we made our way to Atlanta where I filled out yet another application for a visa and went back home. The consulate surprised me when I received my visa'ed passport the very next day in the mail when it took the American government several weeks to send my passport.
The ball of work was still rolling when issues of money conversion, power outlet compatibility, insurance, and what on earth to pack came up. In order to get usable money for the trip, I had to bid farewell to half of my money in order to transform it into traveler's checks and yen. There are two issues about foreign electricity: they use different voltages and they use different plugs. From what I can tell, the equipment that I am bringing can operate in the 110 Japanese voltage (ours is 120) as stated on their power adapters. The plugs are supposedly the same as our even two-pronged plugs. I got a plug adapter for any grounded plugs. In terms of insurance, I simply needed to write a check to my school to be enrolled in their international insurance. I packed clothing, school supplies, and initial living items. Unfortunately, not all of these issues were done as simply as they were listed, as many of them required much research, planning, and time.
And so here I am, two days before I fly off to another country - a feat that I have never before undergone. Since I have probably filled up an entire novel with this one post, I shall end it here and make another for the next topic. Let's see how this journal project turns out!
Post time is 9:18PM. The blog is programmed to list the Japanese time.
I would like to start by catching the readers of this digest up to how I reached this day of two days before departure. As with any large undertaking, there was a previous large undertaking required to gain access to the current large undertaking. What do I mean? Applications. I will be attending the Asian Studies Program at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Like any institution hosting a large, competitive program, there was a rather in-depth application that had to be completed. Let us explore the joys of the application by breaking down its components and explaining what I had to do for each one:
Application for Admission - This consisted of an editable PDF file that you could enter your information via keyboard. Despite the ease and clarity of typing the information, the file could not be saved and thus you had to fill out the entire form and print it in one sitting; otherwise, you would have to start over. Once you finish filling out the tiresome application, you come upon a request for an essay - an essay that a person who just filled out an application would not want to write at that time. More importantly, the essay would be the determinant of whether you will be accepted to the program, so it could not simply be thrown together. Once these items are completed, you can print the application out and guard it with your life as to not need to fill it out again.
Housing Questionnaire - As if one application was not enough, you also have to complete the housing questionnaire so the school will know whether they will have a suitable place to keep you during your stay. The questionnaire essentially asks whether you want to stay in the school dormitories or participate in the homestay program with a Japanese family. From there, it asks compatibility questions to best match you with the most compatible person/people. For homestay participants, there is yet another essay.
Transcripts of Records - This is very simply a transcript of your grades. It's just another thing to take care of for the application.
Three Letters of Recommendation - The letters of recommendation are to come from three of your teachers. College professors, with their busy schedules, would obviously cause an applicant worry about how soon the letters will be done. Teacher selection must be done through careful consideration, not only by who will give good remarks, but by who will be timely about completing the letters. It was recommended by the school to include teachers from Japan-related classes.
Japanese Instructor's Reference Form - This form is not required, but if you have taken classes in Japanese, this form is requested. This is essentially another letter of recommendation.
Medical Information Form - This form is to notify the school of any medical issues that you may have. What one would think an easy task was no stroll in the park for me. As I discovered, I had not seen my doctor in so long that I was no longer listed as a patient. That meant that I had to act as a new patient and fill out all of the necessary forms. After that, a simple "sign this paper" turned into "you have to get blood tests to prove you don't have HIV." This being a first-time blood drawing, I was in for a treat. The real trick, however, was getting the signed paper back since I was at school and work until their office closed. Now that it's all over, I'm pretty sure that I will lose my patient status again before I go back.
Confidential Financial Questionnaire - This form is to ensure that the school will not accept people who cannot pay for the program. Since I had a whole line of scholarships lined up for me, I had no worry about passing this test.
Ten Identification Photographs - Such a simple request can turn sour real quick when they ask for specially sized photos. In preparation for the program in case I was accepted, I went to CVS Pharmacy to get 16 passport sized photos. From there, I had to hand cut each of the 10 photos to the measurement specifications.
Having done all of that work for half a semester, I was quite pleased to learn that I was accepted to the program. Of course, long undertakings are never as short as they seem and there was still much more work to be done. Since I would be attending the program, I had to get permission to go to the country in which it is being held. In order to do that, first you have to have a passport. With the photos from the application still handy, the passport was a simple application and $97 fee away. Strangely enough, half of the fee had to be paid with check or money order, so I got to learn how to get a money order. After finally receiving the passport, I had to make my way to the Japanese consulate in Atlanta (about a two hour drive). Being that I'm not an expert navigator, I had to find a day that both I and my dad could take off from school/work to go to Atlanta. With the end of the year approaching, Dad began to take several days off to kill off his vacation time that would disappear otherwise. With that convenience, we made our way to Atlanta where I filled out yet another application for a visa and went back home. The consulate surprised me when I received my visa'ed passport the very next day in the mail when it took the American government several weeks to send my passport.
The ball of work was still rolling when issues of money conversion, power outlet compatibility, insurance, and what on earth to pack came up. In order to get usable money for the trip, I had to bid farewell to half of my money in order to transform it into traveler's checks and yen. There are two issues about foreign electricity: they use different voltages and they use different plugs. From what I can tell, the equipment that I am bringing can operate in the 110 Japanese voltage (ours is 120) as stated on their power adapters. The plugs are supposedly the same as our even two-pronged plugs. I got a plug adapter for any grounded plugs. In terms of insurance, I simply needed to write a check to my school to be enrolled in their international insurance. I packed clothing, school supplies, and initial living items. Unfortunately, not all of these issues were done as simply as they were listed, as many of them required much research, planning, and time.
And so here I am, two days before I fly off to another country - a feat that I have never before undergone. Since I have probably filled up an entire novel with this one post, I shall end it here and make another for the next topic. Let's see how this journal project turns out!
Post time is 9:18PM. The blog is programmed to list the Japanese time.
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