The spoken language class meets five days a week! I should know some Japanese by the time I return home but probably not much. It is such a complicated language to learn. There's three sets of symbols, hiragana, katakana and kanji. What's crazy about it is that the average Japanese person can't read most kanji. There are about 10,000 kanji characters and you have to know how to read at least 1500 to even read a newspaper. I'm learning hiragana right now and it's pretty crazy. Some people that I have met are anywhere from 3rd to 6th level Japanese and they say they still have a hard time with it. The culture shock has finally worn off, I think. I am adjusting to this new life but it still feels weird. I keep talking about it to other people that I meet but they don't seem to think it's so weird. One reason is a lot of them were here last semester. Another is the whole age thing. I'm not judging anyone because of their age but it is a factor.
Most people study abroad when they are really young so for a lot of them this is either their first time out on their own or they were already living in a dorm at their home university. I have always been stubbornly independent and moved out of the house before I even graduated high school so living in a dorm with rules at 29 is surreal. Above all, I have established myself in so many ways that is only possible through life experience so I'm just on a different level than a lot of people. I'm the oldest girl in the flat but luckily one of my flat mates, who I have taking a liking to, Maggie is close to me at 25. I actually really like all of my flat mates. They all seem really cool, down to earth, fun and helpful girls. I have been in my room a lot since I have been here because I have been so jet lagged and homesick but I finally came out of hiding last night when Maggie knocked on my door inviting to eat some of her food she prepared. She knows what a hard time I have been having here with everything so it was nice of her to ask. The meal she made was so good too.
After that we all did our homework at the kitchen table and gossiped with another guy, Paul from downstairs, about school, Japan, Japanese food and people and the other international students. He's from the U.K., so are two of my flat mates, and he is so bitter and jaded for only being 22 but he cracked me up. He said he hates Japanese, everything...the language, people, customs and most importantly the food. he then wondered out loud why he was even here. It was pretty funny. I'm with him on the food thing because I am having a hell of a time here. Seriously. The grocery store gives me a headache. First of all I can't read anything so I have no idea what has meat in it and what doesn't. Secondly, there are speakers all over the store and every few minutes this lady screams something in Japanese over and over.
Today, in between her yelling they played music that was in the style of a marching band. Then it would fade out and she would start yelling again. The store is filled with old people who can't take the hint when you're standing behind them obviously needing to get past them, so they just stand there admiring god knows what cos I can't read anything. Both times I went there, I wasn't quite sure what I bought and just hoped it wasn't meat. Turns out I have a good eye cos my flat mates verified I chose wisely. Now I know the dorm rules are "absolutely no alcohol allowed" but my flat mates and one of my professors said you can drink but do it with common sense or as my professor put it, "only stupid people get caught." Hide it when you come in, drink it in your room and dispose of the trash elsewhere. They don't do room checks or anything and if they come into your unit's floor, they always knock first and will not enter until they are given permission. So I'm pretty smart so I'll play it safe. I'm not looking to party or anything but I do like having a cold beer or a cocktail after a long day at school.
There's a beer vending machine and a alcohol store, actually the beer vending machine is right in front of the store, right around the corner from my dorm. The little old lady that runs it is quite charming, very short and seemed annoyed that I was giving her business the other day. School is awesome. I'm in for a real treat with my history classes. I can't tell you how awesome it is to study Japanese history in Japan. My time here will prove invaluable when I become a history teacher. One thing I find funny at school is bells ring when your class ends just like in high school. I haven't experienced that in college so it makes me feel like I'm in high school, which is not a good thing cos high school really sucked. My language and reading/writing sensee's are the cutest ladies in the world. In Japan, for Mr./Ms. you add the word san after your name so in those classes I am Nateesh san but when they say it it sounds like Nateeshie san. The area of Japan that I'm in is called the Kansai region, it sits between Osaka, Nara and Kyoto and is so rich in history.
One of the most famous emperors, Meiji, is buried close by and my history instructor is going to take us to see it sometime this term. I have studied a lot about Meiji and the Meiji period so I am so excited to go. I also just found out that this shrine I walk by everyday on the way to school is an old worshipping spot for an emperor, forget his name right now but it was a long time ago. I also was told that Kyoto, where I met up with my Portland friends, was founded in 794. It's so cool to have been to a city that old. I'm doing a lot of walking! The walk to school is about 20 minutes and I least do it two times a day but usually around four. I walk everywhere. It's the best way to see everything so I don't mind. I decided against getting a bike, it's too risky and complicated for someone like me who has no grace, is a klutz and kind of bad luck.
I know these posts can be long but I think it's good for me to write about everything as it's happening rather than waiting till I get home. I started this blog more to keep everyone posted on what I am up to but it has turned into a journal of some sort even therapeutic . It also saves me from writing 500 emails about the same shit. I can write it all here and you can either read it or not. Let's see...I'm trying to think of anything else...Nope. Enough for now. I have my first vocabulary quiz in the morning so I need to study now. Till next time. Oh yes! A guy in a couple of my classes is 44 so I'm not the oldest person here!
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