Some of you may be wondering how my trip is going, seeing as I haven't really been uploading blog posts very often. Or at all. For a whole month. Well, I would like to make up for that with this post! Here's an interview with yours truly:
Q. I hear you've been in Japan for just under two months now. That should be enough time to really get into the groove of things and experience what it's like to live there, right? So, tell me, how is Japan so far? A. Amazing. Q. Amazing indeed. I'm sure any study abroad would probably be that way, but I'm glad to hear that it is suiting you well. With that being said, I've also heard that you are taking a full class load, fuller than what is recommended, and on top of that are participating in an Intensive Japanese course that is famous for breaking souls. Are you actually able to find time to enjoy yourself? A. Yes. Q. That is very heartening. I was worried that you were running yourself ragged without any breaks. Of course, I didn't even mention that you seem to have joined some clubs. That's also taking up a lot of your time I suppose! How many did you say you joined, again? A. Four. Q. That's right! It was Softball, Wandervogel, Shamisen, and Koto. I remember now. That's quite a mouthful isn't it!? Which one is your favorite do you think? A. No comment. Q. Not a very talkative person, are you? Well that's okay. I will break you! Let's get down to the nitty-gritty shall we? I'd like to hear more details about your typical day. How much time do you spend talking in Japanese? Answer in three words or less. I dare you. A. Around 5 hours. Q. Dang. Three words exactly. Well, I suppose that probably varies day by day. With Intensive Japanese requiring about 3 hours of only speaking in Japanese, along with the clubs you've joined primarily using Japanese, and including your Japanese roommates and dorm mates in general tending to use Japanese, it is probably more accurate to say that it varies depending on the day, don't you think? A. Well, as an interviewer, I think you are probably the worst. You dare me to use three words on a question like that and then criticize my answer.... Honestly, what do you want from me? If you don't want one word answers, ask better questions! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And that is where I'll have to end the interview. I can't very well get into a heated argument with myself and still claim to be sane. Minor kerfuffles only please! In all seriousness though, I am having the time of my life. Every day I feel blessed to be here. I love talking with the people here. I love challenging myself to talk in Japanese as much as possible. And there are so many moments where I can appreciate just being blissfully happy. I especially enjoy the moments that I spend talking with the various people in my clubs. It's always fun to find out the cultural differences through chats about holidays, movies, dating, etc. It's even more fun to mix my patched together Japanese and a type of onomatopoeia charades together and attempt to convey my own culture. If I had to choose one bad thing about being here, I would say that I miss my friends and family that I left in Ohio. Social media and such is good for communicating in some ways, but it can't help the fact that I can't hug my mom. I can't watch movies and play softball with my dad. I can't talk truly face to face with any of my friends and family. If I was at Ohio State, would I be doing any of these (besides talking face to face with my friends at OSU)? No. No I wouldn't. But that doesn't change the ache that I feel. To truly understand, let me use an analogy. It's like sharing a bedroom and sleeping in the top bunk of the bunk bed. You climb up ever so carefully, not making any noise or shaking the bed and waking the person below you, and just when you've found the perfect spot to sleep, you realize you need to go to the bathroom. Had you stayed sitting at your desk and doing your homework, you wouldn't need to go at all, but knowing that you can't go without putting in supreme efforts really changes your outlook. It makes going to the bathroom before going to bed just that much more important. And that is what it's like to live on the opposite side of the world from your loved ones. If you know they are right there, then you won't miss them too much. Social media is more than enough to satisfy most of your interacting needs. But, being so far away your sleeping and waking times are switched.... Well, now I feel pretty lonely in the fact that I can't see them. Thankfully I have made friends in my classes, dorm, and 4 clubs so I can't feel truly lonely! Other than that though, there is nothing I truly miss! Except for the American style breakfast. Because my cooking skills really just can't cut it and it isn't served anywhere that I've found so far. With these two exceptions, everything else is great. I'm so happy that I was chosen to attend ICU. I can't imagine a more perfect school for me to be studying at in Japan.
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Dear Schedule, Well, I've had a full week! Monday: had class for almost four hours, starting from 8:50, with a break for lunch and then another nearly 4 hours of class yet again at 3:10. If that wasn't enough, I went to a meeting for the idol club at 7:10. Homework was accomplished at cost of some sleep time. Tuesday: again, class from 8:50 - 12: 40, then went to the Wondervogel club during lunch time, to find out that they actually meet on Wednesdays. Had more time to do homework, so I watched a movie. Homework accomplished at cost of some sleep. Wednesday: can you guess when I had class? I'll give you a hint. It started at 8:50 and ended at 12:40. I actually went to the Wondervogel club today during lunch, as well as the Koto club. Afterwards, I went to the softball field for the first time to try to join the club, but apparently practice was cancelled. Very sad, but I got some homework done instead before then going to the Aikido club from 6:00 - 8:00. Unfortunately, the rest of the homework was accomplished at the cost of some sleep. Thursday: I won't repeat it again. I had class in the morning. If you don't remember what time, please refer back to a previous weekday. I also had class from 3:10 until 7:00 again today. Mondays and Thursdays are looking to be tough! Today I had some free time, but I can't enjoy it. I have initiation practice to go to! And, practice for my initiation practice to go to. Homework was... yada yada... sleep.... yada yada... Friday: morning class, Shamisen club meeting and mini lesson, softball club second try, Aikido Club practice (didn't make it), Momi House Pizza Party (also missed it), softball game (added at last minute). Softball team bonding and relaxing trip to the ofuro at cost of some sleep. Haha "orange" you glad I didn't say homework? (For those of you unlearned in the art of knock knock jokes, I think you had "banana" go google it.) (And for those of you ignorant in the ways of the pun, please refer to my partner in Copley High School's Tech Department, Sam. I'm sure he would be happy to help set you straight. He guarantees one pun for every three sentences, or your money back.) Saturday: I didn't get to sleep in because the tail end of a typhoon is coming and I needed to go shopping. My roommate Ayano and I went to a drugstore at 10:00, and continued onto grocery shopping (I had run out of food 3 days prior... but that's what the dining hall is for, right?). I then worked on my Literature presentation with Brandon (also an exchange student from OSU) who lives in my dorm. We grabbed dinner and bought some more food from Don Quixote. Although it had been raining at that point, it wasn't too bad yet. And the dining hall closes at 4:00 on Saturdays so we didn't really have a choice.... Finally, I worked on my translation homework, and wrote this blog post at the cost of some sleep. (Noticed how the days' descriptions get longer? Living proof that my memory isn't great...) Sunday: my homework day! Nothing to do but study, study, study! Who knows if that will actually happen though. I've been finishing up this blog post all morning after all, and I'm sure I can find a movie to watch if I try hard enough... I might as well tell you that I finished studying at the cost of some sleep. It's some really obvious foreshadowing to my own future. Glossary: Every day 8:50 - 12:40 class: Intensive Japanese B, so far it is indeed intense, but the amount you can learn from studying a language for 3 hours every day is well worth the effort. Monday 3:10 - 7:00 class: Modern Literature in English Translation, seems like it will be alright. I only have to read three short stories every week. Definitely doable. Thursday 3:10 - 7:00 class: Translation at Work, interesting class that involves learning about machine translation and other helpful translating technologies and how they work together to make a translator's job much easier. Not too hard yet, but they might just be easing us into the technology first. Supposedly, the projects we will be doing, if all goes well, will go into helping translate information about the Olympics into English and will actually be used in a real world application!
Wondervogel Club: I don't know what it means either... I think it's probably German! I do know it is the rock climbing but not rock climbing club. Activities include learning rope work for scaling mountains, and then proceeding to hike up the easier routes instead. A bit of a spoiler, but next week Sunday I will be hiking up a mountain with the rest of the perspective new Wandervogelers. Meetings to discuss activities and dates are held Wednesdays at lunch time, and excursions occur over weekends and breaks. Aikido Club: A Japanese martial art that can be used for self defense. It is great for women and children because it is not based on strength. The basic idea is that if you relax and move as if a big scary guy isn't holding onto you, you can actually manipulate your opponent's movements with little effort. I have yet to figure out how to truly relax while a nice, smiling guy is holding onto me though, let alone a big scary one.... Practices are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 6:00 - 8:00. Softball Club: More of a circle than a club, because it is actually very laid back, unlike most of the other clubs I have mentioned. There are 20 some members in total, but probably less than 10 are active in their participation. Of the few members that I have met so far, they have all been friendly and fun people to be around. I'm looking forward to playing my favorite sport together with them this year! Practices are Wednesdays, Fridays 3:30 - 6:00 and Saturdays 4:00 - 6:00. Games are... I don't know when, but about once or twice a week.
Don Quixote: Both a book, and an amazing store. It's huge, random, cheap, and has all your shopping needs (including, but not limited to, school supplies, snacks, workout equipment, a washing machine, fun masks, clothes, costumes, games, beauty supplies, etc.).
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AuthorThe name's Sarah. From September, 2017 to June, 2018 I will be your guide through life as an exchange student in Tokyo. (Some guide I am. It's like I just left you in the middle of nowhere so that I could go off on my own adventures!) Archives
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