06.14.11 No Apple Muffins For Me

If you don't eat apple muffins on Tuesday, it's not a good Tuesday.

I did not eat any apple muffins.

I started off the day by going to my Indian Dance class. It didn't take long for me to realize that it isn't the best class to skip. (If you recall, last week I went to Osaka on Tuesday.) We had learned a lot more steps so I had to struggle to keep up. In the end though, I was able to learn everything that I had missed. The dance is becoming more and more intricate as we add on new segments. I am really interested to see how it will look in the end.

After class was over, I went with Bea and Yoonkyung to a new restaurant by our school called Sakura Burger. Even though it was somewhat expensive, the burgers were large and tasted just like American burgers. I was really impressed. The even had real American mustard and ketchup! It was funny watching Yoonkyung and Bea try to eat their burgers. They had the messiest ones on the menu I think.

Immediately after lunch, I became extremely tired so I decided to take a nap before my next class. In Beginner's Japanese our presentation's scripts were returned to us with some corrections and suggestions. Luckily, I didn't have too many on mine since Yoonkyung helped me edit already. We only had three people come to class though, which was somewhat daunting. I got a lot of practice during our writing and reading exercises though, which was good, and our sensei decided to end class early.

Even though I was still incredibly sleepy after class, it was too early to go to bed so I started to do homework and study. I basically finished my Thursday homework and then I started to study kanji. Around 9 PM my attention span was waning, so I decided to go to Yoonkyung's office to study instead. I always focus better when I don't study in my room. By midnight I couldn't study anymore so I sleepily returned to the dorm.

I'm not sure why I was tired all day, or why my body seemed to ache for no apparent reason. It could be "girl" issues, or possibly from stress (which is more likely). Either way, it sucked.

However, my birthday is next Tuesday! I better have some apple muffins by then.

06.13.11 Hooray for New Friends!

Today was the first time in a while that I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. Even though I only slept for four hours, I was wide awake. I think it had something to do with the anxiety I have over homework.

Anyway, I decided to be productive instead of trying to go back to sleep. I took out my trash and worked on Thursday's homework for a couple of hours before getting ready for class. Japanese wasn't too bad today, but I found out that we will have a huge test at the end of the semester. I am kind of worried about it, but I don't want to think about it too much because it will stress me out. At lunch, Bea and I ate with Hana and Yoonkyung. From there, the three of us went to Budou class where we are still doing kendo. At least this time around we are using wooden katanas so it is a bit more interesting than the usual shinai. On the other hand, Inoue sensei's class afterwards was horribly boring. We started doing volleyball, but unlike my actual volleyball class, no one really knew how to play so it was painfully difficult. It was so bad that I might just skip class next week.

Once class was over, Bea went with me to Packet so I could do some grocery shopping. I literally had nothing left in my fridge so I had no choice but to go today. After I got back, I went to meet up with a girl named Akiko. She will be going to UNCG for two semesters starting in August so the International Student Office gave her my information so she could contact me. The two of us went out to dinner and got to talk about many different things. Initially, we spoke in Japanese, but we ended up switching back and forth between English and Japanese while we were eating. Akiko seemed like a very nice girl, and I am super excited that she will be coming to Greensboro! I plan on introducing her to my UNCG PAL from Kyoto, so hopefully the three of us can hang out in the fall. It was a relief that we got along so well, and I was happy that I got the chance to answer some of her questions and put her at ease. Hooray for new friends!

When I was done having dinner with Akiko, Bea and I went to Konami to work out. Because I had eaten a lot beforehand, it was a little more difficult to run than usual, and my lack of sleep left me extremely tired by the time I finished. Before going back to my dorm, I stopped in Yoonkyung's office so she help edit my presentation's script for Beginner's Japanese. She told me that about 60% of what I wrote was correct, which means that I still have a long way to go. I was extremely grateful for her help though.

I am really lucky to have met so many kind people during my short time here. I hope I continue to make more friends who I can keep in touch with. <3
   

06.12.11 Greater Things

Today at church I had the chance to meet a high school student named Tatsuo who just returned from spending a year in the USA. He went to a boarding school is Austin, Texas. I was impressed at how fluent he was in English. His pronounciation was amazing! At first I was a bit jealous of him, but it just goes to show that I can also become fluent in Japanese-- in time.

Church was powerful today. During our prayer time, I gave my testimony. I was incredibly blessed to have Yoonkyung translate what I said into Japanese for me. I felt like I didn't have much of a testimony to give-- I was born into a Christian family so I have known Jesus all my life, but I was able to share some of what God has been saying to me lately. For one thing, everyone worships God differently, but that's okay. God created us all different, so our worship shouldn't be the same! I love going to different churches and seeing how people praise Him. The other thing God has really been impressing on me is that I will be returning to Japan in the near future. I am not sure if missionary work is what He has in mind for me, but I am ready and willing to follow wherever he leads. My soul has been stirring ever since I arrived in Japan, and I can tell that greater things are yet to be done in this country. The Lord is ready to move here! I feel His Spirit and it is incredibly exciting! I definitely want to be in Japan when God pours his Spirit out.

When church was over, Yoonkyung and I went to an Italian cafe for coffee and to talk. We worked out some things for when we go to Korea and discussed our plans (or lack of them) for the future. I know that God brought me to Japan at this specific time for a reason, and I feel like Yoonkyung is part of that reason. I have very few people whom I consider close friends, but for reason, even though I've only known Yoonkyung for two months, she is like a sister to me. I guess that's what happens when you are part of God's family! It's deeply encouraging to have her at my side. If I hadn't met her I think I would be pretty lonely right now.

Because it was getting late and I hadn't done homework yet, I said goodbye to Yoonkyung so I could work on my presentation for Japanese. I've made a lot of progress, but it's still not finished, even though I spent close to five hours on it. The worst part of it is that I still have homework for my Thursday Japanese class and a paper to write for next week. I don't know how I will get it all done, but it looks like I need to crack down on myself a little bit more.

All play and no work makes Corrinne a stressed girl!

06.11.11 100th

This is my 100th post since I started my blog! Also, my birthday is in 10 days. Pretty sweet, huh?

In other news, I spent another fabulous day in Osaka. Bea, Chan, and I met at the entrance to our dorm a little before 9 AM so we could walk to the train station together. We happened to meet Kana on the way there, one of the Taiwanese girls that I met at Ikebana. Together, the four of us trekked through the pouring rain to Nara station. We arrived in Osaka a little before 10 AM where we met up with some other exchange students and two women from the International Student Center at the National Bunraka Theater of Osaka. Shortly after arriving, we were seated in a large theater where we got an explanation of Bunraka from the professionals, and were able to view a Bunraka play. Bunraku is another famous form of theater created by the Japanese. It's amazing how lifelike the pupeteers can make their puppets seem, especially since it takes three people to conduct one puppet! We got to see "Gojoubashi," a short scene where two samurai were fighting. Nothing is cooler than seeing two samurai puppets fight. Afterwards, we saw "Futatsudama," "Miuri," and "Hayano Kampei Harakiri," all of which were a part of one larger, tragic story.

By the time Bunraku was over it was 1:00. The women from the International Student Center encouraged us to have fun in Osaka, but also to by careful. Together with about five other girls, we set out first for food. Of course, we were in Osaka so we had to eat takoyaki. We went to a different place than where I went with Yoonkyung, but it was just as delicious. Not everyone was satisfied with just takoyaki though, so they went to eat ramen. One of the other Taiwanese girls didn't want to eat because she was meeting another friend for lunch later, so we walked around and talked while the others were in the restaurant. When everyone came back together again, we decided to split up once more. Bea, Chan, Kana, and I all decided we wanted to go shopping so we said goodbye and ventured out into Osaka's prolific shopping district.

We weaved in and out of every other shop, but I was particularly interested in buying some cute summer shoes. It didn't take me long to zero in on a super cute store called "Atta Girl." I ended up buying two pairs of shoes on sale for less than 2,000 yen each (less than $20!). Both pairs were extremely stylish, but I am absolutely in love with my green heels. Everyone else had something in particular they were shopping for. Bea and Kana both bought new purses, Bea bought shoes and clothes, I bought a cute shirt and some earphones, and Chan bought a case for her dictionary. Shopping like we did reminded me of the times I go shopping with my mom and my friends back home. It was so much fun!

Inbetween stores we stopped for dessert and ate some amazing parfaits. I've had some really delicious desserts in America, but no one beats Japan when it comes to style. Everything looked AND tasted amazing. After getting our sweets fix, we took some more purikura (of course!)

Although it seems like we didn't do much, we came home around 8 PM. I had planned to do homework when I got back, but knew that I was too tired to be productive, so I stopped by Hana's to show her what I had bought. She treated me to some Korean ramen since I hadn't eaten, and Yoonkyung arrived shortly after. The three of us hung out in Hana's room and watched some more Korean music videos and Hana also gave me some clothes that she can't wear because they are too big for her.

Overall, I'd say it was a very successful, exciting, spectacular day. : )
 

06.10.11 Homework? What's that?

Honestly, I was going to lament over how I didn't get anything done today, but I'd much rather talk about how awesome it was instead.

I met Yoonkyung and Hana for lunch at noon in the school cafeteria. Afterwards, Yoonkyung and I went to our Sports Law and Politics class. Thankfully, it went by quick today, but that might have had something to do with the fact that I was doodling in my notes most of the time. I know we were talking about the Moscow Olympics and the Cold War. Or something like that.

Once class was over, Yoonkyung and I went to Tully's cafe. Because it was raining, we couldn't resist singing "Americano," so we had no choice but to drink coffee. Since Tully's is connected to Vivre, we decided to have a look around once we were done with our drinks. I needed a new bag because my purse was on its last leg (literally, the strap was about to break because I have used it so much). I ended up buying a cute little backpack that a lot of the girls at school have. And, with Yoonkyung's persuasion, I tried on a cute shirt and bought that too. Although I don't have a lot of money to be spending, I decided I would consider it my birthday present to myself so I didn't feel guilty. It's super cute! I plan on wearing it tomorrow so maybe I will put a picture up later. From Vivre, Yoonkyung and I went our separate ways. I did my best to study and review some kanji before going to Konami with Bea and Yoonkyung later in the evening. At least my time at the gym I was productive. I biked for fifteen minutes, did the stair stepper for ten minutes, and ran hard for thirty-five minutes. (I ran 5 kilometers!)

When we had all finished our workoust, we went to McDonalds for some food and to chat. The night was still young by the time we left and I was feeling restless so Bea and I persuaded Yoonkyung to go to karaoke. Even though it was Friday, we were able to get a student discount so we sang (and danced) for two hours for only 1,170 yen a piece. I think by the time I leave Japan I will know all the major Korean pop groups thanks to Yoonkyung. Now she's got me hooked on 2NE1. We seriously danced hard enough to build up a sweat, and left the karaoke box a little after 1 AM. I was somewhat pissed to find that someone had taken my umbrella off of my bike because it was pouring rain when we got out, but that's what I get for not taking it inside with me!

Today was a lot of fun, and tomorrow I am going to see Bunraku in Osaka with Bea and some of the other international students. After I get back from that, I plan on locking myself in my room and finishing my Japanese project. No excuses!

06.09.11 An Ordinary Thursday

After two days of adventure, today seemed painfully boring.

I woke up late (naturally) and spent most of my morning chatting with my mom on skype. Then I went to Japanese class. Not much to say about that other than the fact that I have a ton of homework to do now. I quickly ate lunch with Bea and Rafael, then got some studying in before meeting Yoonkyung so I could book my flight to Korea. It's official-- I am going for five days in August with Yoonkyung! It should be fun, except that I am a little nervous about not knowing how to speak any Korean. After that, I had my volleyball class. It was painful today for two reasons: one, my team sucked, and two, I twisted my ankle and got a few new bruises from taking some dives. I guess it's what I get for gloating last week.

Once class was over, I devoted about three hours to studying, homework, and doing laundry. The sad thing is that I barely scratched the surface of what I needed to do. I primarily worked on my presentation for Beginner's Japanese, which requires me to make a powerpoint and talk about something familiar to me along with a current social problem in my country. It looks like this weekend is going to be mostly devoted to that. Luckily, around 9 PM, Bea invited me to go to the gym, so I took a break from work and went swimming for about an hour. It definitely cleared my head and made me feel a little better.

Shortly after I stopped by Hana's so I could give her some Hello Kitty socks I bought for her in Osaka. They were incredibly cute, so I knew she would like them. : ) Right now I am chatting with some friends from home via skype. I got an awesome letter from Andria today that included a heartfelt card, a coloring-book picture of Aladdin and Jasmine, Disney stickers, and some encouraging words from fortune cookies. She really knows how to make me smile. Totally made my day! go from ordinary to extraordinary. And now my electronic dictionary's carrying case is covered in Disney stickers <3 Hooray!

06.08.11 Ise-jingu

Around 11 AM today, I met up with Maki, Mao, Chan, and Hanako so we could make the long trip to Ise-jingu. Ise is the name of the town, and a jingu is basically a place where the Japanese go to pray to their ancestors, specifically people who have died in wars. Ise-jingu is the most famous jingu  because it is dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu, who, according to legend, created Japan. Her sacred mirror is also rumored to be kept in the shrine. Although there is some controversy surrounding jingu, they are a part of Japanese culture so I was interested in going to see it.

Because Ise was pretty far from Nara, we took the limited express train, which is more expensive than a normal train, but also much faster. It's kind of like taking a coach bus. The chairs were extremely comfortable, and there weren't many people so we were able to relax and talk freely with eachother. It took us about two hours to reach Ise, and from there we took a short bus ride to the old city that precedes the Ise Grand Shrine. We walked around the various shops, stopped to listen to some Japanese drums, and then ate udon for lunch. It was really fun to walk around because all of the buildings were in the old Japanese style and had been there for many years. We all ate street food on the walk up to the shrine and generally enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

Chan and I on the train

Mao and Maki

Hanako

When we finally reached the main gate to Ise-jingu, Maki instructed us on the proper etiquette for entering the shrine. We bowed at the entrance and proceded to walk for about twenty minutes through a series of gates and walkways until reaching the area where everyone was praying. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Maki asked if I was okay with visiting the shrine since I'm a Christian, but I assured her that it wasn't a problem. (I simply prayed to Jesus instead of... well, whoever the Japanese pray to.) We stood before a white curtain, and people tossed money into a bin before bowing twice, clapping twice, praying, and bowing one final time. Maki explained that the amount of yen you threw in would correspond to how many people you would have the chance to meet in that year(?). I didn't fully understand her explanation, so maybe I'm wrong. In any case, we all showed our respects before making the long walk back to the entrance. We saw a store where the temple sold special charms. You could buy them for a variety of things, such as health, success, relationships, etc. I didn't buy anything, but a couple of the other girls did. When we finally left the shrine area, we bowed one more time at the gate and returned to the old village to look around and visit the shops.

Udon restaurant

Main entrance to Ise Jingu

Good luck charms sold at the shrine

Some stores near the shrine

Area where the sun goddess' mirror is supposedly kept

By the time we left, everyone was tired from all the walking we did. Because we took the normal express train on the way home, it took us three hours to get back to Nara. I slept on and off the whole way back, and groggily returned to my dorm a little after 8 PM. From there, I met Bea and Yoonkyung so we could discuss our August travel plans. It's somewhat stressful to be thinking about August when it's only June, but since we have to buy plane tickets to Korea and what-not, we need to plan everything now. As I result, I didn't get any homework done, but there will be time for that later. At least, I hope so.

I was able to experience a very interesting part of Japanese culture today, and although I don't adhere to any Shinto beliefs, I was honored that my Japanese friends invited me to go.