Long Time - As Usual

Another 3 months have passed. Shit has seriously gone down.

My cousin graduated from the USMC bootcamp last Friday. We're all so proud of him. He's only got about a week and a half left before he leaves again. I got to go down to watch his graduation, which was awesome. He looks good in his uniform.

My uncle committed suicide last month - that was really hard. I was on campus when I found out, so I had to wait two days before I could come home. I also had to write a paper the night of his death - somehow managed to BS my way up to an A. My cousin's grandfather also died about 2 weeks later - his mom's father. He was on his way out with Alzheimer's, but it was an awful time to go when the family was already in so much turmoil. I had to miss his funeral because I needed to be in school.

My parents are splitting in early June. It's a real bummer, but I feel like it's better than them hating each other all the time.

I placed into Japanese. I'm 100% that it's going to be my major and I think I'm just going to minor in Korean and MAYBE Chinese. I feel like I'll be so much better at it.

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School. Yeah. It's hell right now.

I dropped my chem lab the week of my uncle's funeral. I was taking 17 credits anyway, so it doesn't hurt me.

I'm taking Japanese 201 and Korean 101 for the fall semester. I'm also trying to take Asian Art and Viking literature to get my CORE classes out of the way, but the lit class is already full and the Asian Art class is at a time where it might conflict with my Japanese courses if I can't get into the section I need.

Currently, I have a chemistry exam Thursday, a geography exam on Monday and a biology exam on Tuesday. I'm pretty sure I also have a Japanese exam next week too, but my sensei hasn't mentioned anything about it yet. If you hadn't guessed, I'm procrastinating studying. I feel like I'm even worse at studying than I was last semester. I wonder if my brain just avoids work in general?

I'm out for now, I'll update again at a later date.

Forever Ago

I know it's been a really long time, but I figured I should add blogging as part of my New Years Resolution, especially since I'm moving away for the semester.

Some things:

Japan was, all-in-all, pretty awesome. It was awesome enough I made it my major and I hope to minor in Korean. I need to study really hard for my Japanese placement test, which takes place on the 21st of January (a Friday). がんばります！

I never really posted about my experience with the Japanese fireworks festival in Chofu, but I'll let you know it was worth suffering through the massive amounts of dust to watch. The dust was so bad I ended up needing to wash my clothes that night and I had to rub it off my shoes. When I showered, it ran dark brown down the drain and when I cleared my nose and throat, it was dark brown as well. >< I met a couple who were both daigakusei (university students). The guy knew English much better than the woman, but both were dressed in traditional Japanese clothing (for both men and women, yukata are worn to fireworks festivals, although the patterns greatly differ). I have to say, it was like going back 100 years. Approximately a third of the 15000 people attending wore their traditional Japanese attire, since firework festivals are one of the only times in the current era to wear them. The fireworks themselves where fantastic. They had so many shaped fireworks that I didn't know existed. Simple rings were uncommon, most were flowers, smilie faces and animals. The rest were timed with music to add dramatic effect. Considering the distance from the fireworks and the speaker system, it was timed almost perfectly.

I know I mentioned them before, but I love the Korean girl group Girl's Generation (SoShi). They have such cute outfits and the songs are always happy. If I ever need some serious mood improvement, I just need a song or two from them to get my spirits up.

My cousin left for the USMC on Sunday. I know he'll do well, even if I'll miss him. がんばってください。

I found out that most American stores don't sell Japanese short grain rice. I have to specially order it from California. ><" It's required if I want to make onigiri (rice balls), sushi, or other tasty Japanese foods.

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I plan to post more often with my university experiences in order to prep myself for a full year study abroad in Japan. In fall of 2012 (a year and a half), I plan to study at either Rikkyo, Aoyama Gakuin or Waseda Universities in Tokyo.

Earthquake and More

I know I haven't updated in awhile. I just haven't really done too many interesting things.

This morning I was woken by my bed shaking. And not just a little shaking, it was shaking somewhat hard - enough so that the noise woke me up and made me thing, "Wtfh is going on?" So I jump down, whip out my laptop and USGS (my faithful friend on anything tectonic related) said that there had been an earthquake of 5.0 magnitude in Narita, Japan. Which is about 35-37 miles away. Nothing fell or anything, but it was still like...o.o" I experienced my first ever earthquake - in Japan. Please see the below link for further information.
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/140_35.php

I don't think I mentioned this, but I will NOT be going to Fuji. I want to, but financial constraints prevent me from going. It's because I hadn't prepared for a trip to Fuji before I got here (it was kind of last minute and wasn't in the original plans). If I were to go, I would need warm clothes (like winter-warm including gloves, a wind-breaker, a long-sleeved shirt, pants, leggings), a waterproof backpack as weather can be unpredictable at the summit and possibly different shoes. I need something to "protect my ankles" as the guide said and sneakers don't really do the trick. If I were to get that here, it'd be around $300 worth of stuff that I'd have to take back with me - and I hardly have room as it is.

On Tuesday I ended up seeing a movie. Two movies actually. The first was a Studio Ghibli remake of The Borrowers called Karigurashi no Ariettei. It was absolutely adorable and I ended up buying playing cards with the characters on them. So cute~ <3 The second was because I needed a dose of English and so I watched The Last Airbender, which is rather crappy. I'd say the boy was okay and Zuko was okay, but Sokka and Katara suck.

In some of the fancier places, public toilets not only have heated seats, but they also play water sounds to "help" you.

On Tuesday, I met some kids from Illinois here on a Japanese class trip. Their names were Abby and Ian - I enjoyed their company, even if it was only for an hour and a half. I shall miss them, I think.

I've surprised Japanese people by knowing hiragana. ^^" They assume foreigners don't know anything about their language or culture, usually.

I talked to a few high school girls, although I think I made them uncomfortable. Their names were Kika, Eriko and Momoka. Kika talked the most because she was the best at English, but the others talked too. I think it was just because they were shy. We compared high schools and life. They were very surprised America has so much crime. They were surprised that it takes me only 20 minutes by school bus to get to school - but I was surprised it takes them on average 70 minutes by train/walking. They were also surprised Americans don't sleep on trains often.

Don't ever eat hot dogs in Japan. They are ALWAYS suspicious.

I went to the Imperial Palace on Wednesday, which was pretty neat. It was about 37 degrees (99F) there and you were drenched with sweat after just 10 minutes outside, not even doing anything but walking. I took pictures, but to be honest, there just wasn't that much to take pictures of. You were only shown 4 buildings, one of which was a bridge.

I've noticed 2 patches of 3x3 dots on children under the age of 2. I've no clue what it is, but I assume it's some kind of illness test?

In Japan, there is never any sugar to put in tea. You'll always find "syrup" which is sugary water. It's because sugar doesn't dissolve well into cold drinks.

I bought an Obi (sash) for my Yukata. See my FB for pictures.

They literally wash the streets daily in Japan. Storekeepers will wash the ground outside of their shop. By wash, I mean spraying with a hose, scrubbing with a broom and then spraying again. I assume this is to prevent their shop floor from getting dirty.

I like green apple ice cream and cream cheese/raspberry ice cream.

Ramble Ramble

Went to Ueno Park today, just kind of hung out with a girl I met there. Her name is Natalie and she's pretty much on her own as well. Her boyfriend is here with her, but has class from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. , so....yeah. We wandered around and chatted for about 5 hours before we both headed "home".

Not too much more than that. I tried to go see a movie but was 350 yen short, so I gave up. 1800 yen for a movie is kind of steep and the 3 movies I want to see (Despicable Me, the Sorcerer's Apprentice, and HTTYD) are coming out in August here...Which doesn't even make sense to me because SoApp has Nicholas Cage in it - how do the DUB Cage's voice convincingly?

I realized today that a certain male-man hasn't really even taken me on a date since he got a job (which was in May). >> We don't ALWAYS have to get nachos, you know (which make it about $10 more expensive). I'd really like to see D-M or SoApp before they go out of theaters like half the other movies I'd like to see. We never did see Sherlock Holmes - despite great reviews.

I recently wondered if I maybe have something wrong with me. Apparently near constant random pains in the body ISN'T normal for an 18 year old...

Insert a Dramatic Sigh

I'd like to make a friend or two while I'm hear, but I'm too scared to use Japanese. Every time I do, they either aren't Japanese or they assume I'm fluent and chatter away and I have to quickly say "yukkuri hanashite kudasai!" (Please slow your speech!). But after that, they just look at me funny...It's really discouraging. I also want a peak at the night life, but even though I'm a legal adult in the states, I'm not here. Plus, the drinking age is 20, which kind of excludes me from bars anyway.

Really, I just want someone to hang with and practice Japanese with. The Yadoya House offered, but it seems more awkward to go to them to "practice" than it does talking to a random person on the street. I was told to talk to school girls, but they're always in groups of about 4 - somewhat intimidating. If I could get two off by themselves, maybe...And Japanese guys are kind of out of the question. They're more intimidating than girls. >>"

Why is it every place I go has something screaming at me to buy it? I bought the Japanese version of the latest FMP novel (it came out on my birthday). I've been trying to read it, but well...You probably get how that goes. I spent 30 minutes on Denshi Jisho tediously searching each kanji radical by radical (somewhat like breaking a word apart to figure out the meaning - Kanji are made from "special" kanji called radicals) and I didn't even finish the first sentence. If the whole thing were in hiragana/katakana, I'd be sooooo much faster. Getting very good with both. Made myself so proud in the restaurant - I read "haafu aisu tiramisu" (Half Ice Tiramisu - my favorite desert ever as it's only 96 calories and it's a good amount) in katakana (the one I'm bad at).

Yui - I mentioned she's one of my favorite singers as she has nice rock music. She also enunciates well - meaning I can sing along in her songs. I'm currently singing along quite well to "Again".

Words I know:
Yamate - Stop!
Yubinkyoku - Post Office (I need this one for money, as it's got internation ATMs)

I'm looking for something night-life related. Any ideas?

Tokyo Tower, Odawara and More

I went to Tokyo Tower on Thursday. I very much enjoyed the view, taihen sugoi (very wow). You could see all the way to Chiba, the other side of Tokyo Bay (a distance of about 10 miles). I will say you had to look a bit because it was rather hazy. In Japan, there is usually high humidity as well as high heat, making visibility poor. Took plenty of pictures.

Yesterday (Friday), I went to Odawara. There, I visited Odawarajo (Odawara Castle) and touched the Pacific Ocean. It was actually an open bay (refer to Google maps by Googling "hakone, Japan" and scrolling out some), so I count it as fully touching the ocean. I got a rounded lava rock in commemoration of my visit.

At Odawara, I was quite literally mobbed by elementary school students. I said to one, "Atsui desu ne?" ("It's hot, isn't it?) and that was it. They were asking me tons of questions with varying degrees of success in getting answers, since I didn't know what they were asking for the most part. They grabbed a boy who knew English and he apologetically translated. It was obvious he had learned English in America. He had to think, but he didn't have much of an accent - which all school taught Japanese do. They can't help it - it's the way they're taught through "katakana English". They don't learn the proper sounds, only how to spell it and "sound it out" using Japanese sounds. So their "x" sound, as in "sex", makes them say it "sekkusu" (se-kk-su). And they have trouble with "r"/"l" words because it's the same sound in Japanese for them. One of the things that fascinated the children so much were my blue eyes - blue eyes, even in foreigners, are very rare.

I also met a Japanese man (20 years old). He felt sympathetic to me because of the utter mobbing (amusing, yes, but slightly frightening when you can't move) and we talked for awhile. He had to think hard on some words and he couldn't always get them (I usually helped out if I knew what he was trying to say). His accent was there, but not pronounced (he goes to Keio university, which is actually the university I plan on doing an exchange with UMCP). He plans on becoming a doctor and getting an American Medical license. He asked me if I knew how to get one, but I don't. We also compared difficulty in colleges - Japanese colleges are HARD to get into, but very laid back. American Colleges are difficult to get into AND hard work, which surprised him until I explained how laid back high school is. I even explained the colleges-trying-to-get-you-to-fail concept and the SATs to him. In Japan, there is no "standard" test to get into a college, you pick ONE college and apply. You don't get in, you try next year. All the entrance exams are on the same day. ><

(note: don't know how, but this part got deleted)
My Korean mom's name is Min Jeong and she's really nice. I call her my "Korean mom" because she always gives me food (a banana and some dried mangos) and she gave me cake on my birthday! I even try and practice Japanese with her.
I was going to ask her this, but she left before I got the guts to:
Nihongo o yomu koto dekimasu ka? (Are you able to read Japanese?
(nihongo =" Japanese," o =" direct" yomu =" to" koto =" makes" dekimasu =" able," ka =" ?)
I even ask her what certain words mean. Like "kochikochi", which is "here! Over here!" or "Look, look at this!" And I double checked "amai" which is "sweet".

List of words I've picked up/now know better:

"Irasshaimase" - Welcome! (Always said when you enter a store by EVERY employee)
"Sumimasen" - Excuse me, pardon me, I'm sorry (Literally means "Not living" and is used as a general saying. Say it if you bump into someone, need to get through, need attention)
Gomen Nasai - A much more serious way of saying "I'm sorry". More like "I am SO sorry!"
"Arigatou Gozaimasu" - Thank you very much. (always add gozaimasu if you don't know the person)
"Ohayou Gozaimasu" - Good morning! (always add gozaimasu if you don't know the person)
"Unagi" - Eel. Picked it up watching TV. NOT to be confused with "Usagi" ("rabbit")
Daigaku - University, College
Daigakusei - University Student
Hidari - Left (hear it on trains)
Migi - Right (hear it on trains)

I shall add more terms later. I know the pronunciation, even if I can't say it perfectly (I was complimented by Min Jeong for my small accent when I use Japanese). In Japanese, you don't use infliction (stress) on syllables, which is very hard for English speakers because we're all stress. So "migi" would be "mee-gee" but somewhat fast, with no stress. IF a syllable is stressed, it is written so. Example - "Chisaii" (double "ii" means you say it slightly longer) or "kawaii".

I can officially understand what's going on on the TV ("terebi"), even if I don't know what's being said. I'm so proud of myself.

Boyband - Hey! Say! JUMP

Boybands are still big here, as are girlbands. And choreography is ALWAYS used in pop music, but most particularly in these singing groups. The currently most popular boy band is "Hey! Say! JUMP", which just made it to #1 on the Japanese charts. One of my favorite Japanese singers in Yui - She's a rock musician who also plays the guitar and acts. My favorite is her song "Again" but I heard a new one on the radio that I need to snag. I might buy the CD while I'm here (J-CDs are expensive as hell in America because they're imports).

I'm getting MUCH better at reading hiragana and katakana both, as I see it all the time. It really helps on occasion. Kanji that I've memorized are:
小 - "little" (most often seen on toilets, you want "ookii", otherwise the toilet paper stays in the toilet)
大 - "big" (again, most often seen on toilets. You want this one when you use toilet paper)
東京 - "Tokyo"
中ノ - "Nakano"
駅 - Train station

(if you can't view the kanji (meaning you just see squares), that's fine. This is partially for my own record as well as for you to know what I'm up to)

I'm also in Celsius now. It's easier than saying "It's hot! it's 95 degrees outside!!" and having people look at you funny. I just say "Atsui! 35 degrees?!" 32-33 are about 90, which is what it's been here.

I've been loosing weight, but I'd lose it faster if I stopped eating ice cream...>> But I guess that's bad - loosing weight too fast makes you flabby. ><> (I watched Howl's Moving Castle last night, a studio Ghibili film, and I said that at the end and Min Jeong laughed (we watched it together))

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PS

People stare at you on a train if you start dancing or lip singing to the music. It's pretty fun.

Mount Fuji

Here's my budget - A maximum of 12000 yen ($100) for the entire trip. This includes travel and stuff I need to buy.

I plan to climb the mountain either Saturday or Sunday in celebration of my 18th birthday (yay complex metaphor). Most likely Sunday, as I need to go out and buy supplies. A quick overview of the mountain. Athletes have completed the climb in 2 hours, but most people need to take it slower as they cannot breathe properly at altitude and so it should take between 4-8 hours to ascend. I'm guessing it'll take me about 6 or 7. I plan to watch the sun set at the summit. The total altitude is 3776 meters (around 11500 feet). Some people need oxygen - I refuse. If I need to rest, I will. It's alright if I don't make the sunset, but I plan on arriving at the mountain around 10 a.m., in order to give myself plenty of time. I MIGHT stay to watch the sunrise, but I'm not that confident in my ability to handle the cold.

Here is my supply list (if you can think of anything else I might need, or if you really think I don't need something, please say so either using FB or through my mom.)

- A plastic poncho - [est 500 yen]

- My jacket (already with me)

- A pair of leggings (to go under my pants as the temperature drops) [est 1000 yen]

- A long-sleeved shirt? (to go under a shortsleeved one) [ 1000 yen]

- Possibly another hat, as my current could blow off if the wind is too strong. (Doubtful) [est 500 yen]

- Flashlight (I've already got spare batteries) [est 500 yen]

- $1 coins (you have to pay to pee on the mountain) [bringing 600 yen worth]

- 2 liters of water (already got it - bought the thing when I first got here)

- Plastic bags (free when I go to stores and so I've got access to plenty)

- Possibly a larger, on-the-shoulder bag (if I bought this, I'm bringing it home with me. I'll put what doesn't fit in my suitcase in it) [est 2000 yen]

- Food (caloriemates, riceballs, and possibly jerky) (est 1500 yen)

- Gloves [est 500 yen]

- I'll bring an EMERGENCY 5000 yen ($50). I do not plan to use it and it will not go to the 10000 yen I plan to spend. However, there is the threat of hypothermia, even during the summer (during the day, average peak temperature is 7C or 45F) and I plan to come back after dark (usually below freezing). There are also STRONG gusts of wind (I'll prolly wear my poncho like a windbreaker). So - this emergency money is for me to get rested and warmed at a hut (where they have a $10 an hour resting fee) until I feel safe enough to continue.

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Today I saw Tokyo Tower - went up so high I could see Chiba. That's the other side of Tokyo Bay. Other than Tokyo Tower, I didn't do much more than walk around. >< I keep getting late starts because everyone likes to talk to me for about 45 minutes each. ^^""" And I've got 3 different sets of people to talk to.

Tomorrow - Odawara Castle!!! I HAVE to get an early start, so I'll be hacking talking time to 10 minutes a pop. I budgeted about 6000 yen on this ($60) before I came, but I'll try and keep it absolute minimal. The only thing I might buy is a souvenir and a cheap one at that. I also plan to touch the Pacific Ocean from the West Side (I touched it when I went to LA a few years ago).

Sadly, my budget is getting hacked. I really need to cut my spending, so after this, I'm spending a day or two just walking around Nakano - with only 1500 yen per day. I might try to work on my conversational skills in the Yadoya office. As of RIGHT NOW I've only got about $550 left. Out of $1700...>>