Episodes:
• Cell phone: learned a bunch about the pre-paid cell phone stuff here. If you get a pre-paid cell phone, you need a prepaid card. One card per phone number. there is no sharing. Next, 20 is the legal adult age in Japan. The big one, you can drink, and more importantly buy your own cell phone! XD I was denied, and had to get special permission from the school...and Kenny was given a hard time by the cell phone company since he's even younger. the last JSP student who isn't yet of age got her phone from some place in Harajuku. Lastly, your phone account won't be deleted unless it has not seen any activity in the last 360 days. Thus this means that if any future JSP students want to borrow a Japan phone from a predecessor, you can. lol, so now I have double the amount of phones than I have ears! ha ha, my parents had teased me about getting stopped at the air port on the way back home at the end of this semester cause I have so many. - Air port security might think i'm a terrorist...then I'll need to give up one of them and launch into a lengthy explaination of why I have them, what they do(n't). So me phone number will be changing in about a month, when I start using my own phone. ^_^
• Sunrise from the TOP of Fuji!: Darn, that was a long one. Yoshida Trail. Start: train station 5:40am, get to a post office some where in shinjuku by 730. Absolutely amazing timing for one of us who was running late. She made it on the bus with a couple minutes to spare. Got to Fuji with a tour group to the station u spend a few hours at, then it's on your own, at your own pace. Overnight huts - not over night, didn't sleep. Reach the top w/the other hundreds of people who want to do the same in the dark to watch the AMAZING sunrise ^_^ good experience. Summit: 3776m above sea level. Cold, windy, beautiful, tiring, fun, community building, hmmm... the descent. After the sun rise, we were all like... we gotta climb down now don't we? aww, man, never thought about that part. ha ha, good times. totally worth it. this pitiful description doesn't do it justice. There was also an onsen included in the tour package. ~(-.-)~ ahh.... 'twas wonderful.
• Bus Ride one night: got lost ^.^''' yes, it was storming with lightning and thunder - da works man. Ran into my friend Kenny at the train station, and he lent his umbrella to me cause it was raining real hard. Time: about 8-9pm. I took the wrong bus, realized it before the fare went higher than my pass would cover, got off, and started back tracking until i hit an intersection i thought i recognized, continued along that road to an open shop, asked for directions using the map i had in my bag. Fortunately enough, there was also a HUGE map, the size of the wall in the store too! what luck! The walk was about 40 minutes long i think. Good exercise. Got back home just as my host mom and sister were about to leave the house to go look for me. Host sister was upset i came back when i did, she apparently saw it as some kind of an adventure, to go wait for/look for me at the wrong bus stop (the one I was supposed to go to). Later, come to find out that in my haste to get off, I had forgotten my wallet on the bus. Didn't figure that out until the phone rang, and i heard my host mom talking about it. We got it back the next day thank goodness ^_^. Every thing was still inside too.
• JSP Undou Kai: a couple days after fuji. slightly sore, but fun. I got to be goalie when we played soccer stuff. Jammed my finger into the ball, but it'll be fine in about a week. don't worry, we played japanese games too. Japanese dogeball. like shambattle, but not. and this other game that involved tails made from strips of plastic bags, teams, and lots of running. Get as many tails as you can, once your tail is pulled you're out, and the last team standing wins! Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, and wanted to do it again. We played on the fields you see in movies...except it was muddy in certain areas from the rain. ;p all the better right? ppl slipped, tripped, slid, and made funny noises.
• Traditional/old fashioned Candy lane: MUST GO BACK before I return to America at the very least for the candy that looks like sushi and taiyaki! There were like 6 different kinds of tai yaki there! and a billion different candies, intermingling with around a hundred plus different kinds of potato snacks...there was also this bread thing that was like 3.5' long.
Things to come:
Tomorrow is Ruru's Undou Kai, and sushi!!!!!! XD Sunday - Make Beef Stew and learn how to make a sweet potato thing...I really want to make and take my own bento for lunch! via supplies from the 100 yen store! <- some day in the near future though ^_^ Monday - no class! Another lesson in fashion from Host family's junior high school cousin :D always studying...some thing ;p going Harajuku. School...homework...yea. oh, then holiday on thursday! an school friday. Should make plans for Thursday. hmmm...that's about it for now. I should go to bed, seeing as it is almost half past midnight here. goodnight!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
JSP Week 1 complete
Hey hey,
Lets see, where to start? Embarrassing story of the week: The toilets in japan have many buttons and functions those in the U.S. don't. .. or the more modern ones. At orientation we were told to try using the toilet buttons. I went to the library to find and read a textbook for my history class, but got side tracked by the urge to use the fascilities. Used the bathroom, and pressed the button i thought was the one to flush. some thing started beeping, and it was a couple seconds of me wondering what that noise was until I noticed it was an alarm I set off. Started freaking out, rushed out the door, and sure enough an alarm was blaring over the speakers, thinking it was a fire alarm, i ran to the first person I could find, and told him very panicked in Japanese: I made a mistake. I made a mistake, what should i do? He calmly stared at me, and said to just wait, laughed a bit, then went back to his studying. ..Completely embarrased and feeling a bit stupid, I situated myself ouside the bathroom door, and was about to try sink into the floor when the librarian came rushing up the stairs, I went to her appologizing using the best, broken keigo i have, and tried to explain. .. the alarm went off a couple minutes after the librarian came up. According to the JSP coordinator, this happens often, and isn't some thing I should be embarrassed about. Moral of the story: there are panic buttons in the women's bathroom's in Japan. Do not press the emergency buttons. They are not all clearly marked, but the ones at TIU have a green color on it with two kanji characters.
This past weekend: *Friday: Went to a soccer game some where by Kumagaya train station to watch Tokyo International University compete in the 90th Emperor's Cup. The game was good. TIU won, but I may have paid a bit more attention to the soccer guys in the stands than those who were actually playing on the field. ... The guys in the stands had taiko drums, banners, many different cheers, these really fascinating megaphone and clapper things (I want one :D. idk how i'd bring it back, but they're so cool! you can yell through em and whack it against your hand to make noise ^_^. the JSP student i was sitting next to had fun laughing at me and telling me to go make friends w/one of the guys down there and get him to give me his megaphone for free), and cheers in english and Japanese! couldn't understand them too well, but all the JSP students definately knew when they were chanting the mighty ducks': we will, we will rock you!
*Saturday: Tokyo - Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, and Harajuku! ^_^ I spent a bunch of money. T_T too much actually, so trying not to spend much at all this week except for the weekend journey up Fuji-san to watch the sunrise with fellow JSP students at like 520am! Hopefully we make it to the top in time. Ha ha, anyways, went shopping. Bought a couple omiyage, basically an entire new outfit, but after trying it all on, i don't think it fits right, so another time I'll go buy cheaper clothes that I can wear w/the stuff i got. I'm a L some times M size here.
*Sunday: Went with my Host Aunty to her son's high school culture festival. It was quite interesting. Very fun too. Watched high school students do Taiko, the school's cheer leaders, and the school band (very briefly). Toured all the main buildings, bought a coin case, and was mistaken for being my host cousin's girlfriend several times. The third years were running a tea ceremony that my host aunty and cousin took me to. Green tea and bunny azuki bean cakes! <3 Second years sold stuff, and first years had various haunted houses to choose from, along with a science club show case. After the festival, my host aunty took me to meet up with her daughter for lunch after her test (to see where she ranks among other third year intermediate school students). various levels of green tea soba and toppings. Yummy ~ Following the lunch was an afternoon of window shopping and education in fashion. Hopefully I learned a thing or two about dressing fashionably and Japanese fast fashion. Next step...after this weekend is the application and execution of finding, buying, and wearing such clothing well and fashionably. ;D excited to do this. Oh, and I figured out the kind of hair cut I would want to get, a short one w/at least highlights. Not sure when to go do this though, but I'll figure it out. After the massive window shopping/teaching extravaganza, I was taken to their house for dinner: yaki niku, sashimi, and desert XD I was so happy, .. and full. Played super smash brothers after dinner, and I totally owned, lol thanks to all those hours of practice and loses at Pali View Baptist church's youth group in the past year and a half-ish I think.
I think that should be good for now seeing as it's almost mid night already and my brain basically gave out a while ago and i was told to go to sleep by my host family while tryin to explain the logistics for climbing mt. fuji a couple hours ago. Goodnight everyone!
Lets see, where to start? Embarrassing story of the week: The toilets in japan have many buttons and functions those in the U.S. don't. .. or the more modern ones. At orientation we were told to try using the toilet buttons. I went to the library to find and read a textbook for my history class, but got side tracked by the urge to use the fascilities. Used the bathroom, and pressed the button i thought was the one to flush. some thing started beeping, and it was a couple seconds of me wondering what that noise was until I noticed it was an alarm I set off. Started freaking out, rushed out the door, and sure enough an alarm was blaring over the speakers, thinking it was a fire alarm, i ran to the first person I could find, and told him very panicked in Japanese: I made a mistake. I made a mistake, what should i do? He calmly stared at me, and said to just wait, laughed a bit, then went back to his studying. ..Completely embarrased and feeling a bit stupid, I situated myself ouside the bathroom door, and was about to try sink into the floor when the librarian came rushing up the stairs, I went to her appologizing using the best, broken keigo i have, and tried to explain. .. the alarm went off a couple minutes after the librarian came up. According to the JSP coordinator, this happens often, and isn't some thing I should be embarrassed about. Moral of the story: there are panic buttons in the women's bathroom's in Japan. Do not press the emergency buttons. They are not all clearly marked, but the ones at TIU have a green color on it with two kanji characters.
This past weekend: *Friday: Went to a soccer game some where by Kumagaya train station to watch Tokyo International University compete in the 90th Emperor's Cup. The game was good. TIU won, but I may have paid a bit more attention to the soccer guys in the stands than those who were actually playing on the field. ... The guys in the stands had taiko drums, banners, many different cheers, these really fascinating megaphone and clapper things (I want one :D. idk how i'd bring it back, but they're so cool! you can yell through em and whack it against your hand to make noise ^_^. the JSP student i was sitting next to had fun laughing at me and telling me to go make friends w/one of the guys down there and get him to give me his megaphone for free), and cheers in english and Japanese! couldn't understand them too well, but all the JSP students definately knew when they were chanting the mighty ducks': we will, we will rock you!
*Saturday: Tokyo - Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, and Harajuku! ^_^ I spent a bunch of money. T_T too much actually, so trying not to spend much at all this week except for the weekend journey up Fuji-san to watch the sunrise with fellow JSP students at like 520am! Hopefully we make it to the top in time. Ha ha, anyways, went shopping. Bought a couple omiyage, basically an entire new outfit, but after trying it all on, i don't think it fits right, so another time I'll go buy cheaper clothes that I can wear w/the stuff i got. I'm a L some times M size here.
*Sunday: Went with my Host Aunty to her son's high school culture festival. It was quite interesting. Very fun too. Watched high school students do Taiko, the school's cheer leaders, and the school band (very briefly). Toured all the main buildings, bought a coin case, and was mistaken for being my host cousin's girlfriend several times. The third years were running a tea ceremony that my host aunty and cousin took me to. Green tea and bunny azuki bean cakes! <3 Second years sold stuff, and first years had various haunted houses to choose from, along with a science club show case. After the festival, my host aunty took me to meet up with her daughter for lunch after her test (to see where she ranks among other third year intermediate school students). various levels of green tea soba and toppings. Yummy ~ Following the lunch was an afternoon of window shopping and education in fashion. Hopefully I learned a thing or two about dressing fashionably and Japanese fast fashion. Next step...after this weekend is the application and execution of finding, buying, and wearing such clothing well and fashionably. ;D excited to do this. Oh, and I figured out the kind of hair cut I would want to get, a short one w/at least highlights. Not sure when to go do this though, but I'll figure it out. After the massive window shopping/teaching extravaganza, I was taken to their house for dinner: yaki niku, sashimi, and desert XD I was so happy, .. and full. Played super smash brothers after dinner, and I totally owned, lol thanks to all those hours of practice and loses at Pali View Baptist church's youth group in the past year and a half-ish I think.
I think that should be good for now seeing as it's almost mid night already and my brain basically gave out a while ago and i was told to go to sleep by my host family while tryin to explain the logistics for climbing mt. fuji a couple hours ago. Goodnight everyone!
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