bic camera

...is an amazing electronics store. it's huge! i think there were six floors altogether, but it seems like one could find virtually everything there. my friends and i walked there together, but we wound up splitting up into small groups. mia and i wandered around and found probably over a hundred different types of photo albums and photo frames! they were all so かわいい [ cute ] and hard to resist buying. we each got a "therapy color" photo album and a case for our 電子辞書 [ electronic dictionary ]. i had searched high-and-low for a case on the internet before but couldn't find anything. minutes after walking into bic camera, we came across a small wall completely full of them. furthermore, i found a pale pink/chocolate one, and mia chose a pretty orange one ^_^

on another floor, countless models of clocks were showcased. since my LG chocolate is of no use to me in japan, i was left without a method of keeping time and no way to ensure i won't oversleep. scanning the walls and displays for something in my favorite color, i mentally eliminated all of them but one. and this one was perfect. this clock is pink in color, egg-shaped, and includes features such as temperature, calendar, timer, and alarm. however, the awesome thing about this egg clock is that each feature [ when backlit ] is in a different color, and the backlight is activated when it is thrown off balance--meaning, this clock literally rocks [ all in directions about its base ] without falling over. && it's portable!

but shopping aside, mia and i struggled to understand what a bic camera "point card" was. the cashier was patiently trying to explain to us the benefits of having one, but we just got really confused. then i found an explanation sheet in english at the counter, and we finally figured it out. however, it took a few tries to express that i wanted to apply for one. the difficulties in communication didn't end there though. i needed a phone number, and i hadn't memorized mine yet--so mia gave me hers to use. but then, i needed an address. luckily, after writing it five times for my luggage tags and customs declaration forms, it had made its way into my long-term memory. the problem then came down to putting that address onto to paper--but in kanji... long story short, after all the communication issues, mia and i both have bic camera point cards now :)

everyone else was waiting for us outside the building at this point. somehow, we got "lost" on the second floor. when we realized we weren't on the ground floor, we headed towards the escalator to take us down. however, we first came to the one coming down from the third story, so we turned around and kept looking. the next one we came to would take us up to the fourth floor. after some more wandering, we finally found our way out.

the end.

^_^

p.s. rain + flip flops = bad idea.

first day of orientation

i'm getting so excited for this year! orientation has been fun and not the slightest bit overwhelming so far. my day started at 6:30am because i just couldn't stay asleep any longer. we had breakfast in the hotel, and i did something i'm not really used to doing--trying new food! i tried everything [ minus the pickles ] to the right of the rice, which included strange things i've never seen before. most friends know that this is highly uncharacteristic of me. even i was surprised for doing that. before arriving in japan, i was convinced that i wouldn't step out of my [ dietary ] comfort zone.

anyway, we headed out as a group after breakfast for doshisha's imadegawa campus by subway. the seats are cushioned! and i found myself at ease--as opposed to being completely on guard in nyc. the campus is merely several hundred feet from the station, which should be nice in the winter months.

i had ごほうてんぷら [ some kind of veggie tempura ] for lunch. it was delicious! and it only cost ￥110! the cafeteria is relatively small, but it's very cozy in that respect.

then at 2pm, we were turned loose in the computer lab--and here i am ^_^ ! but time's up, and now i'm off to explore kyoto!

finally in japan!

after a six-hour flight to san francisco and an eleven-hour flight to osaka, i've made it to kyoto!  i'll be staying at the kyoto tower hotel with the other AKP students until friday.  after the welcome party friday night, i'll be going home with my host family.  i'm so excited to meet them!

it still hasn't hit me yet.  i'm in japan!  after settling down in my hotel room, i went to a nearby convenience store with my friends, bought お弁当 (lunch box) with お酒 (alcohol--in this case, sparkling wine) for dinner, and wandered around kyoto for a little bit. breakfast is at 8am or so tomorrow morning, so i should get some sleep soon.

i'll try to blog more (and in more detail) later this week, but the flights were fine and comfortable.  the entire process was actually rather smooth-sailing.  i had no trouble with customs, and AKP staff were right around the corner to greet us.  our large luggage were shipped to our homestays, and after a two-hour bus ride, we arrived in kyoto from kansai airport.

and the journey begins... [part one]

mom & grandpa dropping me off at jfk :)

i went to bed after i got off the phone with matt around 1am. everyone else was already asleep, so i was talking in the bathroom as not to wake anyone up.  i really didn’t sleep too well.  i tossed and turned because the taxi service was going to take me to JFK at 5am, and i still had not finished packing. 

upon entering JFK, the first thing i noticed was the huge line at check-in.  much to my dismay, the line was actually a lot longer than what it had appeared to be at first sight, wrapping around the corner and then extending some 50 meters or so.  i was definitely glad i had arrived an hour and a half before boarding time.  however, it wasn’t until about five or ten minutes later that i realized I was standing in the wrong line. 

luckily, the line for united—not us airways—was short and much less intimidating.  i scanned my passport, but i received the same error message [something like, length of stay exceeds limit] when i had tried to check-in online the day before.  i was directed to a representative, and he got me taken care of—it was pretty painless.  as soon as i exited the check-in, i saw nestor and his family come in.  i ran to give him a hug and waited for him to get through check-in. 

going through security was relatively smooth-sailing too—until they found my nalgene with some water in it.  i just had to empty it at a nearby water fountain, but i had to go through everything all over again. 

>_>

*the rest of the story to come soon... i keep finding drafts of blog entries on my pc while i'm cleaning up some folders =]*

just a few more to go...

i’ve disappeared from this blog for over a month, and now i find myself on a greyhound bus headed for boston, where i’ll board another to nyc.  in three days, i’ll leave for kyoto from the san francisco airport after a six-hour flight out of jfk.  

it’s hard to imagine that the 9-week program is already over.  i finished with a grade much better than i had expected—i’m very pleased.  however, it goes without saying, the letter grade is rather insignificant to the overall experience.  

*the rest of the story to come soon... i keep finding drafts of blog entries on my pc while i'm cleaning up some folders =]*

sometimes anger & frustration are the best kind of motivation

[ ughh... i keep breaking the language pledge for this blog ]

we received back our tests from friday this afternoon.  i was sure that my cumulative grade so far was around a C+. well during the short meeting with the head teacher, i find out that in fact, i have an A- right now. i apologized and asserted that i was a bad student. his response? my standards are probably really high. (i don't think so, but going by what past teachers have always said, i guess some things never change.) according to sensei, if i try really hard, i might be able to earn an A. i guess the other teachers also think that entering third-year was probably a good choice for me. that made me feel better. but only ever so slightly.

soccer practice. fun. as always. however, i must have stopped about ten times to try to alleviate the pain from the blister. (moleskin, advanced healing blister band-aid, more moleskin, and finally, athletic tape to hold everything in place.) i've come to really love soccer ~ even the hard practices. we have an important game against the portugese school this wednesday, but i really doubt i'll be close to 90%. the problem is, there must be two (maybe three?) female players on the field at all times, so i'll have to be on top of my game. i did order new cleats ~ but i won't have time to break them in---they'll be arriving just hours before the game. *sigh*

i've calmed down since this afternoon, but...

love the water...

[ again, in the interest of keeping the blog updated... english only]

because the blister had turned into an open wound, it's nearly impossible to wear anything but sandals/flip-flops. after dinner, i had planned on using the bike at the gym in flip-flops, but then decided it was probably a bad idea once i got to the fitness center. since danielle was going swimming, i entertained that possibility. even though i didn't have my bikini with me, we thought i could likely get by with shorts and a t-shirt. (we were right.)

i got a pretty decent workout in the pool, despite being a poor swimmer. actually, i'll probably swim as my main mode of exercise until my heel/back of the ankle gets better.

next game is wednesday against the portugese school. we'll probably have an unofficial practice on sunday, in addition to a scheduled practice on monday. i REALLY hope (with the help of band-aid's "advanced healing blister cushions") that i'll be close to 100% by game day. *crosses fingers*

やった！ 勝ち！

今日、サッカーの試合があって、ヘブライ語学校とあらそって、５対３で勝ちました！　楽しかったけど、スパイクで水ぶくれができた。
>_< 小さいすぎるかもしれないから、明日新しいスパイクを買おうと思う。

hooray! victory!
we had a soccer game against the hebrew school today and won 5 to 3! i had fun, but i got a blister from my cleats.
:(
i think i'm going to buy new cleats tomorrow because they're probably too small.

「可笑しい」をわすれられない

今本当に「おかしい」をわすれられない。

前に、わすれしてまったけど、「い」に「何か」を付け加えるなら、「私が考えている字」になる ~ これ、覚えた。　この「何か」はもう語だけど、どの字をわすれた。

「おかし」はおいしい食べ物の一種だ。　「おかしい」と「面白い」は大体同じの意味だ。

「おかし」。。。「おかしい」。。。

i can't forget the word "funny" now
i had forgotten the word for "funny", but i had remembered that if one added "い " to an already existing [common] word - sweets/candy, one would come up with "funny". however, i had forgotten the word for "sweets/candy" as well.

"okashi" is sweets, candy..... while "okashii" means funny, amusing, strange, etc

"okashi" versus "okashii"...

>_<

friends in this entry: danielle, elliot, and carter
context: i wanted to show them the personals in seven days, but they protested that doing such a thing violates the language pledge. i was trying to attest that it was "funny" (aka worth reading), but couldn't come up with the word for "funny". i then tried to explain my thinking process (in japanese), but they eventually just wound up laughing at how hard i was trying to get them to understand. it didn't take long for them to come up with the word "funny" for me, but it took the entire way from the gym to coffrin before danielle finally understood what i was trying to explain (and then found another way to say the same thing to the guys) *sigh*

a weekend of yummy japanese food, shopping, and dance parties

in the interest of [time and] keeping up with the blog, today's (july 1) entries will be written in english only...

on saturday, my teachers cooked dinner for 中級一 (equiv. of third-year). it was extremely yummy! everyone ate until s/he couldn't eat anymore, and then ate some more! cold noodles were served with our choice of vegetables, shrimp, and various other flavorings. i forget what dessert was called, but it was similar to something i have had during a chinese holiday celebration.

anyway, the weekend began with a trip to burlington. skipping out on lunch at middlebury, my friends and i went to the sakura bana restaurant on church street. i had the vegetable tempura and vegetable gyoza ~ it was absolutely delicious! of course, we were speaking in japanese the entire time (except when we had to communicate our orders to the waiter). because we adhered to the language pledge, we got strange looks and stares from passing people upon hearing us speak japanese.

after lunch, we split up into two groups---shopping in the mall vs. watching wall-e. i choose shopping, naturally ^_^ i had misplaced my water bottle, so i bought a new one from victoria's secret ~ it is perfect! i also had to replace my earbuds... long story involving theft a month ago... overall, it was an awesome time with my friends.

that friday night, my teachers threw us another party in coffrin lounge. マルちゃん, my friend melida, dj'ed the dance. the middkids and a few others danced the night away, but to my [slight] disappointment, everyone else stood around the perimeter of the dance floor. afterwards, we gathered a large group of people to go to the grille with us, including several friends who are working on campus over summer. my teachers later joined us too. it made for quite the interesting conclusion of the night, for copious amounts of alcohol were involved...

staying active!

i joined martial arts, soccer, and volleyball as planned from day one. so far, it's been incredibly enjoyable. martial arts is every tuesday afternoon at 2pm. today's class was led by my friend elliot, whose focus is kung fu. the sun was beating down on us, but i loved learning the various kicks and the introductory kata. it was very rewarding!

tomorrow, i have my first soccer match against the hebrew school. we've only had two official practices, but i've been scrimmaging with some of the guys from japanese school---so hopefully, we'll be okay. after yesterday's practice of running warm-up laps, doing drills, practicing [easy] plays, scrimmaging.... i realized that i really missed organized sports. these nine weeks are hardly any time at all, but i'll take what i can get!

i'm not an amazing volleyball player, but i can hold my own. although the volleyball club has a set practice time, one can usually find a group of people playing on the court at any given time. i've walked past with an agenda before, only to stop what i was doing and join in on the game. and i just want to note that my teachers are SKILLED.

when these clubs aren't meeting, my friends and i hit the gym and/or pool. lately, i've been warming up on the elliptical for about thirty minutes, and then do some lifting (up to 70lbs on the lat pull now!) and abs/balance/ flexibility exercises (for cheerleading). i have yet to conquer my fear of swimming in the deep end of the pool, but i hope to overcome that soon. just before language school, while swimming in the big eddy (bath, nh) with jen h. at one point, i found myself not being able to touch ground. however, instead of panicking, which i expected myself to do, i calmly treaded water (while yelling for jen) and got myself back into "swimming position". after this experience, i'm confident that i'd be okay in the deep end---but still, it's a psychological thing...

no more paperwork! for now, anyway :)

i have finished the card for my host family, the short essay for the freeman grant, and the other miscellaneous requirements. all my forms and materials for akp are sealed in an envelope, ready to go out tomorrow afternoon when i visit the mail center.

everything is also set for the freeman-asia award. i hope to receive as close to the $7000 award maximum as possible. the application process was a bit involved, but it wasn't difficult to complete. (it was definitely worth taking the time to apply.)

and now, i sit back and wait to hear about my to-be host family :)

trial & error

i received a "B" on the oral presentation, along with teacher comments. my strong points included all elements of a well-delivered speech (volume, speed, etc). my weaknesses had to do with my level of preparedness. because i couldn't interview 村松先生 [muramatsu-sensei] until sunday evening, i only had one day to write and memorize the script (and prepare a powerpoint presentation). next time, i'll do everything i can to commit my speech to memory.

my test score from last friday was subpar, but i'll redeem myself this friday. i lost valuable points to silly mistakes, such as rushing and carelessly confusing chinese characters with japanese kanji.

classes have been manageable and extremely interesting. i can honestly say that the four hours of instruction is often over before i realize it. (and then, it's lunchtime!) yesterday, fourth period was spent writing new lyrics to the song ありがとう [arigatou] using targeted grammar points. then, 高橋先生 [takahashi-sensei] played our new song on his guitar while 田中先生 [tanaka-sensei] sang it---it was hilarious and so entertaining. another day, we read a short manga and learned some examples of 擬音語 [giongo], or japanese onomatopoeia, which is heavily prevalent in the language. earlier that same day, we learned popular japanese abbreviations (as used in IMs, texts, etc) and created some of our own. the class' favorite was unanimously JBB, or じぶビ [ji-bu-bi], short for じぶんのビールを持って行く, the equivalent of our b.y.o.b. ^_^

インタビューと発表の宿題

日曜日の夕べに村松先生にお話を伺いました。インタビューはよかったけど、発表は全然よくなった。。。

発表のためにパワーポイントを作った。たくさん練習をしたけど、始めた時、頭がパニックにおちいた。=( みなさんが発表してしまったの後、また発表してみた。 それから、大丈夫だった。

the interview & presentation assignment
i interviewed muramatsu-sensei on sunday night, which went well...but the presentation didn't go well at all. i created a powerpoint for it and practiced a lot, but (for whatever reason) i went into panic mode when i began. i tried to restart again after everyone else had gone :( that time, it was fine.

[ i was prepared for the most part---and felt confident. so why? i don't know. the scary thing about all this is that it was definitely the beginnings of a panic attack. unfortunately, i know this all too well from my freshman year experience... ]

今度週末は大変かもしれない

今日のショーテストは易しかった。　でも、今度週末インタビューをしなくちゃいけない。　それから、作文を書いて、月曜日に出して、火曜日に発表しなくちゃいけない。　友達にインタビューするなら、やさしいけど、先生にはとても難しい。　敬語を使わなくちゃいけないから。

中級一が大好きで チャレンジだ。　ちょっと大変けど、この方のほうがいいだろう。

この五日はとってもいそがしかったよ！　でも、ジムに行ったり、泳いだり、サッカーやバレーボールをしたりできた。

this weekend is probably going to be tough
today's short test was easy, but i have to do an interview this weekend. afterwards, i have to write an essay, turn it in on monday, and give a presentation on it on tuesday. interviewing friends is easy, but since i'll be interviewing a teacher, it's probably going to be difficult. (it's because i'll have to use honorifics, extra-modest expressions, and humble expressions--which require irregular conjugations.)

third-year is a challenge and i love it ^_^ it's a little tough, but it's probably the better way to go.

the past few days have been extremely busy! however, i did get to go to the gym, swim, and play soccer and volleyball.

難しくなかったけど。。。

今日の授業は難しくなかったけど、全部わからなかったので、ちょっといらだたしかった。　全てを理解に慣れたから。　それに、今週はだけ復習だ。。。

it wasn't difficult, but...
today's classes (in third-level) weren't difficult, but because i didn't entirely understand (what was said), it was a little frustrating. （i'm accustomed to comprehending everything.) furthermore, this week is only review...

やさしすぎたよ！

今日の授業はやさしすぎた！　楽しかったけど、ちょっとつまらなかった。。。　明日、中級一の授業にいってみるつもり。　話すことや聞くことはもっと練習しなくちゃいけない。　文法と漢字は大丈夫かもしれない。

昼御飯の後で友達と一緒にプールにいった。　まだ泳げないけど、ゆっくり習い始めている。　日本語でめかくしおにをした。　とても楽しかったよ！

too easy!
today's class was too easy! it was fun, but it was a little boring... tomorrow, i'm planning on going to the third-level classes. i must practice speaking and listening more. i'm probably okay with grammar and kanji though.

after lunch, my friends and i went to the pool together. i still can't swim, but i'm slowly beginning to learn.　we played "marco polo" in japanese. it was so much fun!

so much paperwork.

there's much to be taken care of before june 30th and july 7. i've been nominated to receive a freeman-asia award, which may grant me up to $7000 for the upcoming academic year. i'll need to submit various forms by the end of the month, but many of them require correspondence from my advisers---so i'm relying heavily on their timeliness. as for my study abroad program july 7 deadline, i'm most worried about the card to my host family and a short essay for a grant (that will fund cultural activities during my time abroad). the other forms shouldn't be too difficult to fill out. i'll just have to force myself to sit down and do it.

i feel slightly overwhelmed, as i have only two more hours before i sign the language pledge. classes begin tomorrow morning at 7:50am and will last for four hours. i'm extremely excited and nervous (and somewhat dreading the summer) at the same time. i know i'll be just fine though ^_^

i should also write back to my pen-pal in kyoto... her name is norie, and she goes to doshisha university, where akp (associated kyoto program) is hosted. i'll get the chance to meet her in person come september! she seems like a very sweet girl. i can't wait :)

and the countdown begins.

i'm down to my last few hours before the signing at 10:45am. orientation was surprisingly entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. my teachers are so incredibly nice and welcoming. there are 80 of us in the japanese school--20 are middkids :) 300 applied. student to teacher ratio is 4:1. 2000 paper cranes will be made this summer. i can't wait! i'm signing up for martial arts, soccer, and volleyball. the list of activities is extensive, and i plan to take full advantage of what language school has to offer.

after hatasa-sensei's closing remarks, i found myself more inspired than i ever thought i would be to follow closely the language pledge. this means i won't be calling home often, checking facebook, talking to my friends in chinese school, or listening to american music (contrary to my intentions before arriving on campus). i'll stay on top of my email, but i can't promise the usually long responses.

おやすみなさい [oyasuminasai], or good night!

my last day of english

the placement exam wasn't terribly difficult, but it took over three hours to complete. there were six parts: grammar & usage, vocabulary & kanji, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, essay, and the interview. looking back, i think i could've done much better. i didn't guess on many questions. the exam is scored like the sat, and we were advised not to guess if we didn't know the answer. i'm afraid, however, that i took it too literally. i left questions unanswered even when i was able to eliminate wrong choices. i gradually became more comfortable with the format after the first portion, which thoroughly disheartened me at first sight. i wasn't able to answer any of the opening questions. the exam is the same for students of all levels, so i mistakenly assumed that the questions would be presented in order of ascending difficulty. much to my delight, i found that they eventually got easier. the exam didn't capture my abilities very well, so i'm sure i tested into second. results will be posted as soon as grading is completed.

*update*
i was placed into second ~ yay!^^ this will probably mean four As toward my major.  it won't be easy, but i will certainly not be struggling to keep my head above water. i'm slightly disappointed, but i believe it's for the best. i trust the teachers to have placed us accordingly. the grammar will be already familiar for the most part, so this summer will be more about consolidation of concepts...i just hope it won't be like intermediate chinese. this year wasn't necessarily a breeze, but i don't feel like i was challenged enough. i guess time will tell.

i'll sign the language pledge tomorrow morning at 10:45am. afterwards, i'll only be permitted to speak, read, hear, and write japanese. of course, i'm in the middle of vermont, so it's a bit unrealistic. i'll do my best to adhere, but i'd like to keep blogging throughout the summer. perhaps i'll start writing in japanese.

excite.co.jp/world/english has a translator, but like most online tools, it fails to produce a perfect translation. (if lucky, one can get the gist.)