>< New Roomie...

So I just met my permenant roommate yesterday and I already dislike her. She's either extremely shy or extremely rude. She totally ignores me whenever I say anything. And I know she's not deaf and I know that she speaks English!!!!!!!! I totally said good morning to her this morning and nothing! Not even a little grunt! Silence! Everyone else in the seminar house is nice and says good morning except for her! I get the grouch... Thus is my life... Whatever! I don't really plan on spending too much time in my room anyways. All the action is elsewhere! Makes me sad that I have to type and rant on the computer instead of just calling people up and telling them. But it's all good. I knew that I had to make sacrifices when I made the decision to study in Japan. I'll get over it soon. I usually don't stay angry too long. The good thing about yesterday was that I finally unpacked my things now that I'm in a permanent room!!!!!!! No more living out of a suitcase!!!!!!!! And I laundry but the dryers are kind of crap so I had to find random places in my room and on my balcony to hang them. They were all dry this morning so yay for that!
Classes start today and I hope to get my computer back too! I miss my own computer! It's so much better than the ones that are downstairs at the seminar house or the ones that are in the CIE. It also has my music which I have been with out for a while... :( Everyone is so loud in the computer lab... It totally says quietly use the computer lab. Ok so it says it in Japanese but non-the-less you would kind of think that it would be a place where you know you should probably be quiet. It's semi like a library! I'm totally a little bored trying to wait for classes to start. My class starts at one and it's only 11:41! ><>

Japan is pretty shut down on SDundays.. It's almost like Utah... Justin and I wanted to buy a bike today but everything was closed! Everything on the Campus is closed except the sitting room in the CIE! All of the Japanese students are gone! Which right now there really aren't any because their classes don't start until two weeks after ours... Only the sports teams are really here. But we did find this cute Japanese girl that I thought was a student at the Kansai Gaidai. But instead she was a high schooler. she was cool though we talked to her for a good half an hour. After that we went to go and find some food at the cute little okonomiyaki place that I like but it was closed too!!!!!! I was so upset! So we actually had to walk over to a grocery store and buy prepared food. I also bought a few things for my fridge, including a big carton of Iceed Koohii!!! (coffee) I also bought kimchi which will probably be my breakfast... If you don't know what kimchi is it is this amazing korean dish. It's fermented spicy cabbage! I love it! The taste kind of lingers though so i would have to brush my teeth like 12 times to dilute it. But it totally tastes better than it sounds!
Classes start tomorrow... I'm a little nervous but I think I will be fine. Language classes start tuesday. I got into level 3 for reading/writing and for speaking, so I am right about where I should be. Wish me luck as this semester starts!!!!!!!!! <3

Apply

Back to the las blog when I said that I had to apply myself... I totally did! I walked up to a group of guys on campus and asked if they could take my friend Heather and I on a tour. They had tennis but we met the one guy that I talked for a little bit and he said that he could show me around tomorrow so we exchanged phone numbers talked a little bit through text message that night and decided to meet at 12 at Hirakata City (which is only like a 15 minute bus ride maybe). I had a stupid orientation thing the next morning at 10 but all of the computers were taken (it was for language lab) so my friend Justin and I had to come back at 11! I was so upset! So I had to tell him to meet me at one instead. Everything worked out just fine! We took the train to somewhere and then got off to take a different train to another place. When we got there we had takoyaki, or breaded octopus ball shaped things. I popped one in my mouth after just getting them like an idiot and was still surprised to find out how hot they were... I totally burned my mouth. But they were still delicious. After that he showed me around whatever city we were in. We even did a skywalk thing. We went to a building that was 40 stories high and looked out at Japan or kind of more down on it. I could see Osaka Castle, Osaka Dome, mountains, and the sea. It was really cool. He then showed me around some shops. before we started to head back we did Puri-kura, which is the photo booth thing. He had to be on campus around 4 because he had a tennis party thing. It was really fun having out with him even with the confusion. My Japanese is limited and his English is even more limited. But his phone had a dictionary on it (jealous!) so we managed conversation. We both like the color green, we both don't smoke, are blood types are both O, and not only does he like coffee he gets the same thing at Starbucks as me! Crazy right? I hope to hang out with Keisuke again he was really sweet and cute!
Afterwards I was supposed to meet up with Justin to go have some drinks. I waited at Hirakata City for a bit found some tirimasu mochi (amazing!) and went to starbucks to have a drink. Justin who tried to take the train back got completely lost! So I had to call Kae and tell her to text Justin and help him out. Mean while I just walked around one store lookinf at the cute little things went to another store and found a bathroom. The toilet was a porcelien hole in the ground... NOT COOL! And on top of the ditch potty myphone died! And Justin still wasn't there! But it was fine because I went to a Softbank which is the phone company that I have and said my phone died! The lady got me a charger and sat me in the corner and for the next 20 minutes or so I sat and charged my phone waiting for Justin. When he finally got there we were hungry and made our way to a Japanese fine burger and coffee place. How amazing does that sound? What more do you need than coffee and burgers? I got a chicken burger but no coffee (next time). That was the most delicious thing ever! It was so amazing! Anyone that comes to visit me I already know 2 restaurants that I'm going to take them to. MOS Burger and This cute little okonomiyaki place that is right next to my dorm. We walked around and didn't really find a drinking place so we went to the liquour store and I bought some canned grape cocktail that was good and then we watched the street performers and talked about things that we could get away with because we are foreigners and people are scared to talk to us. Justin calls that Gaijin (foreigner) Smash. I wouldn't doubt that we could get a way with a few things. but not too willing to try. But I did walk up to the street performers and asked if I could play their tamborine. They blushed and said yes so for one song I jammed a bit with them with my awesome tamborine skills! They were just a bunch of kids but they sang and played guitar and this semi drum thing really well.
Yesterday was totally awesome! And I can't wait for more fun times like it! I don't have my computer right now because I missed the pick up time yesterday but I have to computer lab downstairs. I won't be able to pick it up until tomorrow which is when afternoon classes start. I have 2... But my Tuesdays and Fridays are pretty open. On Tuesday I only have my writing/reading class and my language class and on Friday I only have my language class. And Friday I'm going to Kyoto with Kae and Youhei! Yay!!!!!!!

Fun Times in Japan!

Last night I went to another Karaoke place with a bunch of other international students and one of their speaking partners. It was SO much fun rocking out to both english and Japanese songs. There was about 13 of us that were in this one room. We all fit in a nice, cozy little way. We were there for about 2 hours. Afterwards 5 of us went to a bar for about 20 minutes. We had to make it back by 11 or the seminar house gates would have closed. Which I really hope they are open later when school starts because that would totally be a bummer. But it's cool because my friend Justin is renting a house so I'll just randomly make my way there and be "Hey buddy! Wanna hang out?" Either that I will find myself a nice bench. And no it does not occur to me that I could just be back before 11 everynight that would make too much sense for me. Today there is a tour to Kyoto but I am going to wait till next week to go. Kae and her friend Youhei are going to take me! I would rather go with people that speak Japanese than with people that just want to speak Japanese (kind of like me). I'm trying to apply myself and work hard...

So far Japan has been a very nice experience. The study abroad part is a little stressful with the forms and the orientation and the placement test and the registration and the paying of fees but other than that I am really enjoying myself. I am not bothered too much by the heat or the intense brick wall of humidity.
My Wednesday evening my friend Justin and I decided to look for a place to eat off campus (the cafeteria was closed...). We wanted a ramen shop so we asked the guards at the main gate where one was. We understood straight blah blah something blah blah ramen. So we nodded and smiled and said thank you and walked a bit came to another gate and asked the same thing. We pretty much just ended up walking around talking making fun of ourselves saying stupid foreigner and what not. We ended up making it to a okonomiyaki place. It was a small cute little restaurant that where you could get food and VEBERAGE!!! Janglish... Makes me giggle!
My Thursday afternoon we were a little more successful with directions. Justin need a new pair of sandals because the ones he bought for 300 yen were giving him blisters and I need to do my alien registration. So we too the bus to Hirakata Station and then walked to the City hall. Shiyakusho! A new word! (City hall) It is very helpful to just text Kae and ask her things. I love Kae! She's my hero! Anyways I wish I took a picture of the guy that helped me with my registration because he had the most AMAZING hair!!! It was like Elvis but way more UMPH! After that we went to STARBUCKS!!! I totally love the fact that I can order things in Japanese!!!! After the caffeine run we walked in to a department store looking for sandals . the first floor didn't have any so we asked where to find them. The lady said 6th floor. The 6th floor didn't have any so we asked where to find them. The lady said 1st floor... So we went to another store and asked a girl who actually walked out of the store and to the end of the street and pointed to it for us! Justin and I were amazed! No one in America would ever do that! But anyways we get to the shoe store they all nod and smile and say welcome and we're actually in there for a good 15 minutes talking to the people. I even tried on two pairs of adidas shoes which I bought. They're slip-ons so I was very happy. Then we got back on the bus and got off at Kansai Gaidai where I asked a cute guy in a business suit what the time was. It was 1:45!! Justin then bought a cell phone and I went back to my dorm. Other than that the only thing I did was sign up for classes. Soooooooo Yay for that!
Oh! I totally saw a bird the size of a cat today... I think it was a crow. Yeah and I saw a moth the size of a small bird! Crazy!

I have arrived!

So much has happened since I left! The plane ride was incredibly, horribly long and on both plane rides I might have slept a total of 45 minutes. And it didn't help that I barely slept the night before.
I spent more than 15 hours on plane!!! And I could not sleep AT ALL! Sitting up and sleeping doesn't work very well for me!
When I arrived in Japan Kae and her Dad were waiting to pick me up! I went to my first genuine sushi restaurant!!!!! And I even tried raw fish and squid! Amazing right!?! Well the fact that I tried it was amazing not so much the actual taste. the squid was so chewy that I couldn't just take a nibble... I had to put the ENTIRE thing in my mouth. I was so close to *walking the dog* that I had to spit it out. There was just no possible way that I was going to swallow it.
After that we went to a Hot Spring place. It felt so good after such a long trip. I was even at all shaken at the fact that you're naked with a bunch of other people around. I was in a female only area of course!!! Before you get into the water you have to wash yourself. So I did... The warm waters were so relaxing!!!! There were different types of hot spring pools. Some had seats where water jets are and gives you kind of a massage and some are just hot.
The next day we went to Namba! Kae and I rode the train to get there. There was even a STARBUCKS!!!!!! There were actually 3 but i only went to one. Namba is where I bought my cell phone! I pretty much just sat there while Kae talked. At this point I'm doing a lot more listening than talking. After that We met up with her dad and went to an international pub where I had my first legal alcoholic beverage. I mean first alcoholic beverage... 20 is the drinking age. Then we went to karaoke!!!!!!! I was a little shy at first but it was a lot of fun after I warmed up to it! Kae's Dad was hilarious. He sang a queen song, and the Japanese version of "living the viva loca"! I sang 2 Japanese songs, "A Whole New World" with Kae, "Under the Sea", "Before He Cheats", "Friends in Low Places", and a few other songs! after that we went to a sukiyaki place and ate and then went to another sushi place and ate! I was SO full! Then we went to another hot spring place! This place had an electric bath... I did not really enjoy that. I couldn't sit down all the way it was too weird! When we got Back to Kae's house she had a few friends over. I was a little shy at first because I know little Japanese and they know even less English. But it was fun and I enjoyed myself!
Monday night I met Kae's Mom and her Mom's parents. We had dinner at their house. The food was amazing! After dinner they had plums. I bit into it and thought it tasted weird but I kept eating it. I thought "Why does this taste so sharp?" Then I realized that they were plums that had been sitting in alcohol for 5 years... I could only eat one... It was ok but not the best. Kae and her Dad took care of me while I was there and I know I will be seeing a lot of them! Especially Kae! I'm so lucky I had them around! I only paid for my cell phone! Everything else Mr. Miki paid for.
Tuesday!!!! I have finally checked into my seminar house! For orientation week I have 2 roommates but one of them has home-stay so she will be leaving. I'm not sure but I think I have to change rooms as well. When I got here Kae and I met up with our friend Chisato (She also studied abroad at Towson) and then we met up with Justin (he was in my Japanese class at Towson). We ate in the cafeteria which has good food for a cheap price! Very exciting!!! Chisato then took us on a tour around Hirakata! It started to rain after a while but I didn’t care! It was my first rain in Japan and I was happy! We ended the night at an okonomiyaki restaurant where Chisato works. The new manager was our waiter and was absolutely, amazingly cute!!! I kept drinking my water or taking someone else’s cup that had less water than mine just so he would come back with more water! I went to the bathroom a lot while I was there... I even asked if he had a girlfriend! And he didn’t so I worked up the courage to give him my number!!!!!! Well with some pushing from Kae, Justin, and Chisato. I’m kind of scared if he does call because I’m not going to understand him right away...
I pretty much love it here and maybe the only culture shock that I have experienced is that everyone is so polite! You walk into the store and EVERYONE that works there greets you bows and smiles! Everything else is not too big of a difference. I have an open enough mind where most things don’t bother me! I mean I get to walk around barefoot! We all know how much I hate shoes!!!!