I think I have finally become accustomed to living in Japan because not everything is as new and exciting to me as it was when I first got here. I wouldn't say that I have become complacent, but I have definitely settled into my own rhythm. In other words, I am just as busy in Japan as I would be in the United States.
I slept in until 9:15 or so (how in the world will I get up for 8 am classes in the fall?!) and talked to my parents for about an hour via skype. I hadn't talked to them in a while so it was really refreshing, but it also meant that I had to rush out the door instead of being able to take my time getting ready. Bea and I hurried to Japanese, but it didn't matter that we were five minutes late because our professor wasn't even there yet. We started with a quiz ten minutes after the class' official start time. Then we went through some new grammar points, which I plan on having Yoonkyung and Bea review with me on Wednesday.
The lunch break was short and bittersweet. Bea and I sat with Melanie and Rafael, the two French students. I like them well enough, but since we aren't that close and I can't speak with them easily it can be a bit awkward trying to talk to them. We didn't have much time for talking though since Bea and I had Budou immediately after lunch. Today was started naginata, which I love much, much more than kendo. Maybe that's a good thing since it was designed with women in mind! For one thing, the foot work isn't as difficult as kendo (in my opinion), and there are lot more variations of how to use the "spear" than the shinai that is used in kendo. It came more naturally to me so I am looking forward to doing more next week! From there we went to our gym class, where we practiced more tennis. Even though I like tennis it was somewhat boring today. At least two of our E.S.S. friends that we met were in it, so we actually got to interact with them for a little while.
Bea was supposed to have another sports class afterwards, but since only two other people showed up, it was cancelled (wow!). The two of us left shortly after this to ride to a department store a few blocks away. I got to borrow a bicycle from the International Office in order to make this happen. I love Japanese bikes! They come fully equipped with a light on the front, a basket, and a rather convenient locking mechanism so you can park them anywhere without needing a chain or some other bulky locking contraption. Convenient! When we got there, the two of us went in search of bathing suits. We found them, but... well, Japanese bathing suits are probably the weirdest thing I have ever seen. Either they were all skimpy bikini type swimsuits or they all looked like surfing/full body suits! Since I am curvy with a little extra in the middle, I was forced to buy the latter. Even though no one would wear them in the United States, they are quite sporty and conservative so I think they suit me. Another strange thing about the department store we went to was that there were no changing rooms. There were only single, stand-alone "boxes" where you could try things on, and these were scattered throughout the store practically smack-dab in the middle of the aisles! It was rather... weird. The weirdest thing of all though was that the bathing suits were actually tied via plastic wire to the hangers themselves, so before you could try them on the store clerks would have to cut the ties with scissors. In addition to the ties, the bathing suits all had bells hanging from them. I wondered if this meant there was a big shoplifting problem in Japan? Anyway, we finally purchased bathing suits that fit us. Hooray! Then, Bea made a pit stop to the electronics section of the department store so they could clean out the microphone jack on her laptop. It seems like blowing air in it was all it really needed so she won't have to send it to an HP store to be fixed-- yokatta!
On our way home we stopped at a popular fast food restaurant that sold gyuniku donbori (basically meat on top of rice in a large bowl). Apparently, these type of restaurants are really popular because they expect their customers to eat, pay, and leave. You aren't supposed to sit and talk, and Bea explained that the average eating time was around 15 minutes. Even though it was empty when we were there, she told me that around lunch time it could get pretty crazy. Also, women don't often go to these restaurants. Usually you see Japanese business men there because all of the women go home and cook for themselves. Interesting, right?
It wasn't long after we returned to our dorm that we went to meet Yoonkyung. Our plan was to go to the local gym, buy memberships, and possibly go swimming or do some other type of exercise. However, when we arrived at Konami (the name of the gym), their membership desk was already closed for the night (it closed at 9:00 and we got there a little bit later.) Yoonkyung tried talking to the people who worked there, but from what I gathered the only way we could do anything was if we paid 1,000 yen (you pay about 4,000 yen for a month membership so it was really expensive!). In addition to this inconvenience, we found out that the gym is closed on Tuesdays (why? I have no idea) so we can't come back until Wednesday! Even more annoying was that the discount that Yoonkyung thought she qualified for when friends join didn't apply to us. Eeeeh? All three of us were a bit disappointed, but Bea and I didn't want to keep Yoonkyung from exercising so we told her to go swimming while we went out to get coffee and donuts.
I finally got to try Mister Donuts, a famous donut chain here in Japan. I didn't really care much for it, but at least I tried it. Then we walked a few stores down to the ever-popular 24-hour McDonalds where we bought coffee and sat upstairs in their large seating area. Yoonkyung came to join us shortly after. She said she couldn't work out because she felt bad that we couldn't go too! I learned the word for disappointed: bakkari, but I have since replaced it with "Konami." And so, an inside joke has been born in Japan! To say that we are disappointed, Bea, Yoonkyung, and I will now say "konami datta." It would probably be funnier if you were here, but you get the idea. The three of us got to talk about many things, and I practiced trying to speak only in Japanese (with my friends' help). We even explained to Yoonkyung what sarcasm was since she had never heard the English word before.
In other news, I received an encouraging card from my parents today. I couldn't believe that it took almost two dollars for them to send it to me! Even so, it really brightened my day. It is nice to know I have so many people supporting me and praying for me back home. <3 Needless to say, today was a good start to the week. Midnight came all too quickly, and I should really go to bed now since I have my dance class in the morning. Another day has passed in a blur! Tomorrow will be busy (isogashii) also. Good night!
I slept in until 9:15 or so (how in the world will I get up for 8 am classes in the fall?!) and talked to my parents for about an hour via skype. I hadn't talked to them in a while so it was really refreshing, but it also meant that I had to rush out the door instead of being able to take my time getting ready. Bea and I hurried to Japanese, but it didn't matter that we were five minutes late because our professor wasn't even there yet. We started with a quiz ten minutes after the class' official start time. Then we went through some new grammar points, which I plan on having Yoonkyung and Bea review with me on Wednesday.
The lunch break was short and bittersweet. Bea and I sat with Melanie and Rafael, the two French students. I like them well enough, but since we aren't that close and I can't speak with them easily it can be a bit awkward trying to talk to them. We didn't have much time for talking though since Bea and I had Budou immediately after lunch. Today was started naginata, which I love much, much more than kendo. Maybe that's a good thing since it was designed with women in mind! For one thing, the foot work isn't as difficult as kendo (in my opinion), and there are lot more variations of how to use the "spear" than the shinai that is used in kendo. It came more naturally to me so I am looking forward to doing more next week! From there we went to our gym class, where we practiced more tennis. Even though I like tennis it was somewhat boring today. At least two of our E.S.S. friends that we met were in it, so we actually got to interact with them for a little while.
Bea was supposed to have another sports class afterwards, but since only two other people showed up, it was cancelled (wow!). The two of us left shortly after this to ride to a department store a few blocks away. I got to borrow a bicycle from the International Office in order to make this happen. I love Japanese bikes! They come fully equipped with a light on the front, a basket, and a rather convenient locking mechanism so you can park them anywhere without needing a chain or some other bulky locking contraption. Convenient! When we got there, the two of us went in search of bathing suits. We found them, but... well, Japanese bathing suits are probably the weirdest thing I have ever seen. Either they were all skimpy bikini type swimsuits or they all looked like surfing/full body suits! Since I am curvy with a little extra in the middle, I was forced to buy the latter. Even though no one would wear them in the United States, they are quite sporty and conservative so I think they suit me. Another strange thing about the department store we went to was that there were no changing rooms. There were only single, stand-alone "boxes" where you could try things on, and these were scattered throughout the store practically smack-dab in the middle of the aisles! It was rather... weird. The weirdest thing of all though was that the bathing suits were actually tied via plastic wire to the hangers themselves, so before you could try them on the store clerks would have to cut the ties with scissors. In addition to the ties, the bathing suits all had bells hanging from them. I wondered if this meant there was a big shoplifting problem in Japan? Anyway, we finally purchased bathing suits that fit us. Hooray! Then, Bea made a pit stop to the electronics section of the department store so they could clean out the microphone jack on her laptop. It seems like blowing air in it was all it really needed so she won't have to send it to an HP store to be fixed-- yokatta!
On our way home we stopped at a popular fast food restaurant that sold gyuniku donbori (basically meat on top of rice in a large bowl). Apparently, these type of restaurants are really popular because they expect their customers to eat, pay, and leave. You aren't supposed to sit and talk, and Bea explained that the average eating time was around 15 minutes. Even though it was empty when we were there, she told me that around lunch time it could get pretty crazy. Also, women don't often go to these restaurants. Usually you see Japanese business men there because all of the women go home and cook for themselves. Interesting, right?
It wasn't long after we returned to our dorm that we went to meet Yoonkyung. Our plan was to go to the local gym, buy memberships, and possibly go swimming or do some other type of exercise. However, when we arrived at Konami (the name of the gym), their membership desk was already closed for the night (it closed at 9:00 and we got there a little bit later.) Yoonkyung tried talking to the people who worked there, but from what I gathered the only way we could do anything was if we paid 1,000 yen (you pay about 4,000 yen for a month membership so it was really expensive!). In addition to this inconvenience, we found out that the gym is closed on Tuesdays (why? I have no idea) so we can't come back until Wednesday! Even more annoying was that the discount that Yoonkyung thought she qualified for when friends join didn't apply to us. Eeeeh? All three of us were a bit disappointed, but Bea and I didn't want to keep Yoonkyung from exercising so we told her to go swimming while we went out to get coffee and donuts.
I finally got to try Mister Donuts, a famous donut chain here in Japan. I didn't really care much for it, but at least I tried it. Then we walked a few stores down to the ever-popular 24-hour McDonalds where we bought coffee and sat upstairs in their large seating area. Yoonkyung came to join us shortly after. She said she couldn't work out because she felt bad that we couldn't go too! I learned the word for disappointed: bakkari, but I have since replaced it with "Konami." And so, an inside joke has been born in Japan! To say that we are disappointed, Bea, Yoonkyung, and I will now say "konami datta." It would probably be funnier if you were here, but you get the idea. The three of us got to talk about many things, and I practiced trying to speak only in Japanese (with my friends' help). We even explained to Yoonkyung what sarcasm was since she had never heard the English word before.
In other news, I received an encouraging card from my parents today. I couldn't believe that it took almost two dollars for them to send it to me! Even so, it really brightened my day. It is nice to know I have so many people supporting me and praying for me back home. <3 Needless to say, today was a good start to the week. Midnight came all too quickly, and I should really go to bed now since I have my dance class in the morning. Another day has passed in a blur! Tomorrow will be busy (isogashii) also. Good night!
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| Sweet bread at the supermarket. They were too cute to resist so I bought the turtle one |
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