Week six

Hard to believe that I have already been here for six weeks, eh? I'd say the adjustment period has passed but the culture shock still hasn't worn off, I'm beginning to wonder if it ever will. It's not a bad thing, for the most part but it's still so weird being here. I don't mean to sound like a broken record but this place is so different from everything I have ever known. I'm reminded by that throughout the day and sometimes it's hard to wrap my brain around it. Going to the grocery store is still hard but somewhat entertaining. I cannot read about 85% of what's in there. It's hard to figure out what is what and I am left playing the guessing game, which isn't a fun game when you are trying to be as cheap as possible. I buy something that really doesn't look like it has meat in it only to find out upon returning home that it in fact does. I'm not starving by any means but I don't think my diet is that great here and I would like to take advantage of the healthy diet that most Japanese maintain. 

I'm in the middle of the 5th week of school and I am so exhausted. I have never studied like this before. I have become a great student over the past few years and I do well back home but these language classes are making my brain work in ways I never knew possible. It's good and bad I suppose. I studied 7 hours yesterday and 6 the day before for my speaking class. We had a test today and even after all of the hours I put into preparing for it, I still didn't do that well. I haven't received my score yet but I know that I didn't do well. It's just so frustrating and it's not going to get any easier. I'm used to doing well when I work for something. But I will continue to try my best, it's all I can do. I'm going to see about getting a tutor cos I have tried everything I can think of and it's still not enough. 

This weekend one of my history teachers organized a trip to Hiroshima to hear an atomic bomb survivor tell her story. We're going on Saturday morning. It's a bit of an expensive trip but I feel like because I'm a history major it's important to be able to hear a story like this so that when I am a teacher I will be able to talk about it to my students but most of all I love hearing a historical account from a person that actually lived it. There aren't many survivors left and once their gone we lose our access to living history and their stories will only be available to us in books written by someone else, so this is an amazing opportunity. It's worth the trip. I am sure that it will be so depressing though. She has had a lot of reconstructive surgery and has cancer all over her body from the radiation.  My teacher said that it takes a certain kind of person to talk about how they survived something. Most survivors never speak of it, ever. I understand why survivors of horrific events choose to be silent, I can respect that but I also am thankful and inspired when someone decides to break their silence and share their stories. Living history is amazing. History is amazing. I think most people think history is boring and it's usually because they had some teacher along the way who made it boring. This only motivates me more. I've had some amazing history teachers and I learn from them not only about historical events and thought but also how to be an effective, successful and FUN, yes learning can be fun, teacher. I can't freaking wait. 

I graduate with my Bachelor's of Science in history on June 13th! I have worked my ass off to get that degree so I am really proud of myself. I'll have the summer off but then I get right back to it with graduate school. I'm looking forward to the summer a lot. I graduate and then turn 30 in July. I can't wait for my 30s. I'll never be one of those women who hates get older or who is self-conscious about their age. I welcome getting older because it brings more wisdom and more life experience. I'm like whiskey--I get better with age. I think that's how it should be, our life experiences, good and bad, should make us wiser, stronger and just better people. So bring 30 on, hell bring 50 on. I'm ready.