Lazy Thursday

It's been a while since I updated!
Last weekend, my two new tomodachi (friends), Taichi and Kiyota, and I went into Osaka for the night. They took me to a big department store in Umeda - one of the "younger" neighborhoods - called HEP.

Five floors of six floors of shopping with a seventh full of restaurants. With a giant ferris wheel on top. We wandered around the building for a couple hours, popping in and out of stores, buying nothing. Eventually we hit the top floor for dinner. I wanted a change from what I'd been eating the past few weeks, so we went for Italian. $10 for a plate of spaghetti alfredo with salmon and spinach is an awesome, awesome deal. After that, we decided to ride the ferris wheel. I was all kinds of terrified, since heights and I are not friends. The view was amazing! Unfortunately, I don't have pictures, since the plastic walls of our little gondola warped all the photos. But you can have horrible self-taken group photos:

Kiyota got cut off.

And now you can't see Taichi.

Unfortunately, the boys have really busy school schedules, so I'm not sure when we'll hang out next. But we've been texting back and forth...hopefully we'll set something up. There's some talk about helping them study for the TOEFL.

I met this kitten on the way home.

I made a new tomodachi yesterday, named Kazuki. He speaks English very well, which is actually nice for a change. I'm all for speaking Japanese with native Japanese speakers, but having a friend who can help me out in my language is incredibly helpful! We borrowed gloves from the campus gym today and tossed around a baseball for the better part of an hour. It was so great to do something active. He lives only a couple minutes away from campus, so maybe I can hang at his place after classes one day. I'm also friends with a girl named Mai; we want to visit Chinatown in Osaka together. And I'm also tutoring a girl in my Popular Culture course, since she has a little trouble understanding our professor.

Classes have been going well. The fact that I'm actually at a school is just setting in, due to the sudden influx of tests and papers.

I love Banao

You wish you owned a planner this amazing.

I made some friends with a group of Japanese boys a few days ago. I texted one of them yesterday if he wanted to have lunch and talk about New York since he wants to visit this summer. He asked if it was okay to bring one of his friends along. So we met in the cafeteria and eventually moved to the amphitheater (I really don't know what to call those circular stairs), where we talked for a good two hours. We planned to meet up for lunch again tomorrow, and to meet Saturday evening in Osaka. I told them to take me someplace fun, since I would show them around to all the cool places when they came to New York. So, as of right now, I have no idea what were're doing on Saturday, but I'm excited!

If my trip thus far was my yearbook entry

Superlative: Nicest
Last Seen: Fretting about accidentally missing class
Extracurriculars: Shopping with host family, karaoke
Dream/Reality: Japanese boyfriend / ...

Kyoto

Today was wonderful! Otoosan had plans to meet two of his colleagues in Kyoto today and he invited me to join them.
This is the Golden Pavillion in the Rokuon-ji Temple. It was built in the 1220's to be someone's villa, though I think it is now used for special tea ceremonies. The inside and the outside of the building are coated with gold leaf.

Obligatory tourist photo!

We then went to the Ryoanji Temple, which houses a very famous rock garden. There are no trees, just 15 rocks and white gravel. From every angle, you can see all 15 rocks. As stated in the pamphlet, "It is up to each visitor to find out for himself what this unique garden signifies. The longer you gaze at it, the more varied your imagination becomes."

A model of the garden.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get a shot of the whole garden. But I assure you, it was gorgeous.A famous painting on the walls of the Zoroku Tea Room. The room was currently closed to visitors.

We then met up with Ise-san to go eat dinner in Kyoto. We headed into the more urban area of the city, and then down a very narrow street.

This area is famous for its architecture and narrow street.

Dinner was amazing! We ate various chicken parts that were cooked in front of us on a hot stone. It's a very specialized type of cuisine, very particular to Japan. We stayed in the restaurant for a good two hours, cooking, eating, and talking.

Finally, Aya-chan came to meet me and take me home. Otoosan and his two friends were going to go out drinking. Even though they put away four giant mugs of Asahi each during dinner. We all had dessert together, and then we parted ways.

It was an amazing day.

In other news, I finally was able to buy a cell phone (keitai)! The phone store kept me hostage for a little over 3 hours as I struggled to communicate and properly fill out all the forms. Here's my baby:
I spent a few hours last night pimping out the phone. Now, the ringtone is "Like A Rolling Stone" and the custom skin is adorable cartoon cats eating various pastries. I figure that at least the skin is very Japanese.

I will end with this picture of Japan buying into its own stereotype.

Why yes, that is a cellphone that transforms into a robot.

Out and About

I'm absolutely shocked that I haven't gotten homesick yet. My family has been so kind and welcoming, and the college is keeping me really busy...I haven't had time to really miss anything back home.

So, what have I been busy with?
Classes, for starters. I'm currently signed up for Reading & Writing Japanese, Speaking Japanese, Issues in Modern Japanese Society and Culture, and Popular Culture as Social Practice. I had also signed up for Basic Ceramic Techniques, but I decided to drop that. It required 8 hours/week of studio work, which was just too big of a time commitment. I think my class schedule is pretty balanced now, though I can technically take one more course. I like having some free time in my schedule - I can do work on campus and spend time with friends in the evenings. Less schoolwork also means more time to go out and actually experience Japan.
Well...that makes sense to me.

My host family took me to city hall in Hirakata today for my Alien Registration. This means I'm one step closer to getting my Alien Registration card and cell phone! I am so, so excited for a keitai. Finally, I'll be able to contact my friends in the dorms and with other host families. After taking my to city hall, Okaasan and Ayachan gave me a tour of the area around Hirakata station. Then we took a train to the giant shopping mall near home. We spent a few hours walking around and window shopping (I actually bought a wallet for all my Japanese cards/money...the pouch was becoming a hassle).

I have a test tomorrow in Speaking Japanese, so I'm going to get back to studying. Enjoy the following photos.

I thought it was cake in an ice cream cone. False. It is solid chocolate in an ice cream cone.
A really cool-looking bug.
It's a friend of Fresh Seal's!

Host Family

I met my host family today! They're awesome. Everyone's really really nice and helpful (and crazy, in a good way). They have wireless internet. Their house is adorable and narrow, and two-stories tall. My room is super cute. Otoosan (my host father) speaks a little English but no one else does, so I have to speak Japanese! The house is conveniently placed near a bus stop and a games/anime/manga store.
This is working out so well.

Me and my host father.My host mother, sister (Ayaka), and brother (Kensho).

We just had a delicious (but HUGE) dinner at a Japanese restaurant....I'm all sleepy and full now. I'm going to unpack for maybe another 15 minutes before I go shower and go to bed. Classes start at 1:00 tomorrow, but I want to get on campus early so I can get some last-minute things (such as buy books for class) done.

I Haven't Posted in a While...

...Since not too much has happened. Well, yesterday nothing happened. Took a nap and had a quiet dinner and watched Zoolander with a friend.

But Thursday was fun!
In the morning, the international students were given a general briefing and some safety rules. A lot of the information was a little repetitive, but I found some the safety issues interesting. Like the fact that there is almost a 100% chance that we will experience some level of earthquake while I'm here. Yikes.
Then we had the early afternoon off to pretty ourselves up for the Opening Ceremony and Welcome Dinner! The Opening Ceremony was pretty entertaining. The President of the school welcomed all the international students and introduced the speakers. The American and Australian consulate generals spoke, as well as a professor and two students. After the ceremony let out, all the students were ushered into the gardens for some group pictures. Someone said something like "girls should be in the front" and I was ushered to the front of the group. Anyway, I'll post the pictures (or links to the pictures) when they go up on the college's site.
Dinner was amazing and delicious! It was buffet-style, served in the college cafeteria, with all kinds of sushi, dumplings, onigiri, fruits, and meat to choose from. There was nowhere to sit in the building, so some friends and I decided to take the party outdoors. The sky was threatening rain, but chairs and a table were necessary.
Overall, quite a fun evening.

Today's been pretty quiet... I finally bought some shorts so that I won't completely melt in this wretched weather. I'm doing laundry now so I won't have to drag a ton of dirty clothes to my host family's house. I have to move out of my dorm room by 10:00am tomorrow and I meet my family at 2:30. I wonder what I'll do until then.

In Japanese language class news, I was placed in Level 3 for Speaking and Level 2 for Reading&Writing. Huh. Technically (by the course descriptions given) I should be in Level 4. After the first two weeks, we have another set of placement tests, so I guess I'll see how I do on those.

Japanese friends

I met my speaking partner, Megumi, this evening. We went out to an okonomiyaki restaurant near Seminar House 4. Megumi lives in Kyoto and is a first year student at KGU. We spoke primarily Japanese...mostly her asking questions and me stumbling around answers or saying that I didn't understand. But by the end of dinner, we were really getting along. Megumi loves Beyonce and 007, karaoke and clothes. She's super cute, basically. I told her that we would go to karaoke together soon and sing Beyonce.

I also got a sheet about my host family in my mailbox today. I'll have a mother, father, and two siblings. My host sister is 21 and a Kansai Gaidai student, so maybe we can travel to school together! My host brother is 16 and loves soccer and music. On the form, my family says that they expect me to teach the entire family english, that several family members can speak some english, and that their reason for hosting me is to "enjoy english conversations". Way to place me, Kansai Gaidai. I remember saying that I wanted a family who didn't speak much english so I could practice my Japanese. Oh well. At least I know that I'll have an involved family. I'm really excited to meet them! Our meeting time is at Sunday at 2:30...kind of a wretched time, since meeting appointments start early Saturday morning. I'll basically be bumming around the dorms all Saturday. Maybe I'll go shopping or watch a movie or something.

Karaoke

I took the language placement test at 10:30 this morning. I stopped stressing about halfway through. Can't say that I did well, per se, but I did the best I could. I remembered a lot more than I thought I did! Though my half-blank kanji recognition section of the test was hilariously sad.

During our lunch break, I wandered into the on-campus convenience store and found out that the college sells a vast array of cell phones and phone plans that are appropriate for semester-long stays. A few of them got a little pricey, though. As of this moment, there are about three phones I'm in love with (the current favorite being lime green). I know I don't need all the bells and whistles, but I'm in Japan and I want an awesome phone. I've also heard, through the grapevine, that it is possible to "strip" a phone once you leave the country so that it can be used in America. This is something I want to look in to.

Went to a banking session, so I should have a bank account here within three weeks if everything checks out! I also took care of learning how to use the Language Lab software and registering my laptop on the KGU network. Speaking of computers, I finally was able to work through/around the campus proxy and get Adium and Skype to work! So please please please let me know what your respective screennames are so I can stay in touch! It'll either be really early in the morning or late at night that you can contact me, but keep a lookout!

A group of Seminar House 4-ers went out to a karaoke place called Big Wave tonight. My room spent a good hour jamming to awesome songs such as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Kiss the Girl, Paint it Black, Thriller, It's Raining Men, Daydream Believer, and Maneater.

Here are some photos to prove we had fun!







And now it's bedtime. Tomorrow is going to be ridiculously busy - I have things to do from 9:30 to 5:15, and then I meet my speaking partner, Megumi. I'm excited to meet her...we exchanged a few e-mails over the past three weeks, and she seems really nice. It will be good to have a contact here who can tell me about some things to help me get the most out of the campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

Write to me!

Nella Williams
c/o Center for International Education
Kansai Gaidai University
16-1 Nakamiyahigashino-cho, Hirakata, Osaka
573-1001 Japan

Respond with your address and I'll send you the worst (by which I mean "best") Japanese postcards I can find!

It's All a Little Overwhelming

Orientation keeps chugging along...

There's so much to do! I have some down time this afternoon, but starting tomorrow I'll barely have a moment to myself. There are so many meetings and tours I need to attend, as well as handling registration, paying fees for the semester, etc. I still have no roommates yet, which is actually kind of nice. I'd like to make new friends, but I am enjoying the privacy and the ability to study aloud without bothering anyone.

I bought an ethernet cable a few hours ago, but I'm having issues actually getting my computer to connect to the network. I can get online now using Firefox, but the proxies I applied in system preferences don't seem to affect Adium and Skype. Technology can be so frustrating when it won't work right.

I'm very nervous about the language placement test. I've been studying a lot (I fell asleep with my book last night), but I don't think it's going to go very well. I should technically get into Reading & Writing 4 and Speaking 4, but I doubt that will happen. Even after all this extra studying, I'm still rusty. I'm scared that I won't get credit at Oberlin if I get put into a level under 4. But the whole Japanese experience is going to do wonders for my speaking skills regardless of class, so maybe I'll get credit anyway? But maybe a little review would be better for me? I would absolutely love to solidify what I already know before plowing ahead.

Last night, some friends (huzzah!) and I went out looking for a place to eat. Taka led the way. Taka being a Japanese guy who is completely fluent in English and is crazy in the best way possible. We ended up walking for a good two hours, about 20 minutes of which I spent in heels. Horrible idea. My feet were covered in blisters within minutes, so I ripped off my shoes and walked barefoot. I'll spare you a photo of how jacked up my feet are right now. It's grim.

But here are photos of my dorm room!


I suppose I should get back to studying. But first, here's a lame mirror.


On a completely different note, what do we think about the current layout/color scheme?