*Blog Updates*

Hello, all!

Recently, I have been told that it is hard to navigate through all the journal entries. This is because they appear on the blog from the most recent to older posts.

In order to make reading through the entries a little easier I have created an index page (which can be found above: "Out of the Bubble") that lists all the entries chronologically. In the future, I also plan to add at least a "Next" Button at the end of each entry to further improve navigation.

Thank you for your comments and patience. If there is anything else you would like to see on this blog, feel free to ask!

Take care.

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 49 (Final)

AUGUST 3

This is is… the final stretch of the journey. I headed back to Nagoya this morning to join the others for lunch of our favorite Naan Curry, and also to grab round six of luggage. This time I had two full bags, my orange bag, and a large black luggage from Jason. He didn’t need it to go home, because he had sent most of his things home in boxes. Thankfully, I was able to make the trip with Takahiro’s help. Just one more trip and it should be done. To think, if I had asked a friend with a car to help, it may have only been one trip…

AUGUST 4

With the bulk of my property now at my new apartment, it was time to properly unpack and give some sense of order to the piles that spot my living room floor. It took my all day, but for having no furniture, it doesn’t look too bad. Still no fridge, washing machine, futon, shelf or anything, but I plan to buy those after I come back from America. Four more days! Crazy! I wish the others didn’t have to go home, but at least I know I will be back. I am looking forward to seeing my family, some friends, and to eating all of the things that I haven’t had the chance to eat in this past year. But, even so, I don’t want to go. If there was a way to bring all those things to me, then it would be a perfect world.

AUGUST 5

I went back to Nagoya, once again. This time it was primarily to help the other students with their final room checks. We stored their luggages in my room and went to eat at Naan Curry for the last time together. After that, it was already the evening so we hung out for a while before they decided to sleep. They were all heading to the airport early, so the group split and I gave up my floor and bed to them. In the meantime, I went to dance in the Naka District for what I knew would be the last chance I could do so for some time.

Later, when I returned, I found myself locked out of my room until I had to call on the intercom from the first floor. This was our last night together, sleeping with my newfound family, before saying farewell.

AUGUST 6

In the end, I didn’t go to the airport with everyone. I woke up, hugged them all good-bye and walked them to the station, but that was all I could have done. Even if I had gone, I couldn’t have stayed until the last person left because I had one last day of training today. Maybe it was best no to over-dramatize our farewell. I will see them again, maybe in Japan, maybe in Hawaii, or France. This is just the end to another chapter.

AUGUST 7

Yesterday I took the last round of luggage down to Okazaki, so this morning I returned to an empty room for my final check. There was no problem, as expected. I paid for the water and electric bill, turned in my keys and ID, and suddenly I was homeless in Nagoya. Homeless, but not friendless. There was still half a dozen of the Chinese and Taiwanese students remaining for the next 6 months. We ate lunch together at SUSHI-RO, and then there nothing else to do but return to Okazaki and start my own preparations to return home.

AUGUST 8

In a few hours, I’ll be on a plane back to the States. It’s all over, the study abroad, my adventure in Nagoya. When I come back, it will the beginning of a new life, a whole new adventure to look forward to. The best way for me to show appreciation for this experience is not to look back with want, but to march on with hope and purpose. Hope that I can see my international family again, and soon, and with all the intention of making that happen. I have been training for a few months now, and I can look towards my job with confidence. I’m not simply teaching English to stay in Japan, but I want to teach. I want to share my experiences with others, and encourage them the same way that my teachers and professors have encouraged me. I have something to give now, a purpose.

Until next time...

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 48

JULY 28

Yes! Back on my feet and ready to celebrate! Another Ramadan has come to an end. Aside from that last bout of sickness, I had no trouble fasting. I had been worried because I was told the humidity would kill me, but not this time.

The afternoon was marked by two events. The first of which was the conversation exam. This time, each of us would have an entire fifteen minutes to speak, and our partner was the professor. When all was said and done, my professor asked me, ‘Did you think it was easy?’ Does that mean I did well? Or, maybe I’m over-thinking it and it really means, ‘Don’t you think you should have tried harder?’ But, I don’t know what else I could have said. It was all right out of the textbook. Oh well, just let it be. Off to party~

Of course, we couldn’t really have a ‘party’ as there were now only three of us. Instead, we had a late lunch at the nearby curry place, and then we also ate some crepes. Then both of my new Indonesian friends went off to study for their exams. I headed home to pack another load and visit the district office to officially change my address. Now that I’ve received quite a few things from the other students, including a size-able box of study materials for the Japanese proficiency test, a folding table, a couple towels, various condiments, utensils, and more. Tomorrow is going to be my fourth round of moving luggage (the third was before I headed down to hand in my visa paperwork on Friday). Sadly, it looks like there’s more to come. So much stuff!!

JULY 29

It must be a universal rule that you have to change your address within 14 days of moving. I only found that out a few days ago, but I made it in time.

I am now an official resident of Okazaki city! A small part of me is still amazed that I was able to do the entire process on my own. In general, it’s not a hard process, but there is a little bit of paperwork. Last night, I stayed in Okazaki, so this morning I took the bus to Higashi Okazaki in order to reach the City Hall. I was told which department to turn my paper into, but no one said there was two buildings and multiple floors. Of course, that was only a small obstacle, and by noon the paperwork was filed. They even gave me a little ‘welcome’ bag, filled with news flyers, and a few bags for sorting garbage and recycling. After that it was back to Nagoya for some final reviewing.

(City map of Okazaki at Higashi Okazaki Station.)

JULY 30

It ended today. My last exam of the semester, my last day of classes at Aichi University, and it was all the last day of my undergraduate career. Would’ve thought I would finish my career as a student, and start a new one as a teacher, in Japan? I’m fairly sure I passed the kanji portion of the test with flying colors, but I’ll never get to see it. I’m not going to look back for it either: onward and upwards.

To celebrate the end of [most of] it all, I treated myself to something I have wanted to go to for years: DISNEY on ICE. Yes. I was actually lucky to get the ticket from a friend who could no longer go because of her exam. Gi and I met at the venue just as the show started. Our seats were off to the side, but we had a great view of the show. Pictures were improbable, but those images will stay with me I’m sure. Interludes with Mickey and the gang transitioned into each storyline: The Princess and the Frog, Cinderella, Snow White, and my favorite, Tangled. I only wish there had been more, but perhaps it depends on the show? I’ll just have to go to another one someday.

Dinner was my last Taco (salad) Night at Shooter’s with the girls. Tomorrow we are going to Universal Studios Japan!!!! I can’t wait!!

JULY 31

The adventure started off in the warm morning hours as we made our way from our apartments to the highway bus stop. This time, instead of taking a bus from the Meitetsu bus center, we registered with JAMJAM, another highway bus company. Coincidentally, the stop at which we had to wait was right in front of AIDAI. We left early because we were not aware of the stop’s location, so we had some time to wait. As we waited, one of the bus guides, an elderly man, started talking to us; of course, noticing we were foreigners, he was curious as to where we were from. He himself seemed very educated in regards to foreign languages. Too bad he wasn’t our bus guide, but he was an interesting man.

We boarded the bus and climbed up to the second deck. There were two rows of paired individual seats, not benches. These seats were also a comfortable size, complete with a leg rest, and blanket. There was also hardly any other passengers, so we had the desk to ourselves. As the trip proceeded, there would be rounds of visiting the very front of the deck to take pictures, as well as pretend to be driving the bus. One of the things that I noticed, and that I wish I was able to take a picture of in time, was an Egyptian cafe near Nakatsu Subway Station in Osaka. My heritage must have been crying out to me.

At just before 11am we arrived in front of USJ, Universal Studios Japan. There was only a few families and couples with us as we walked past the giant UNIVERSAL STUDIOS globe and through the ticket gate. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as we thought it would be. Once we entered the park, and made a necessary stop at the ATM, the crowds increased, but once again, it was the general crowd you would expect. Families, foreign and domestic, couples in matching clothing, groups of school girls, and occasionally some of the park’s characters would come out as well.

Our first destination was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We hastily made our way to the new attraction; from the outside of the park you could see the upper towers of Hogwarts. Gradually, the surrounding crowd began to increase. Before we could enter the attraction, we needed to take a time ticket. Since it was so new, it was still the most popular place in the park, and so it only made sense that they had to let people enter in cycles. The ticket said nothing about departure time, so it was possible that anyone who entered could spend the whole day there. We might have, if our ticket time had been earlier, but we could not enter until 5:30pm.

With six hours before the main event, the only thing to do was enjoy the rest of the park. We went to Jurassic Park first, just as the heat of the day peaked. The line for the ride wound so far down the trail that at first we thought we missed the entrance. That wasn’t so. Soon we found the end of the line and from there it was an hour and a half wait. If you read my past entry from my first trip to Japan, when we visited the Natural History Museum in Toyohashi, then you know I like dinosaurs. Kids of my generation should like them, and that is in part because of the wonderful Jurassic Park. That said, if I was going to create an attraction that would line up people for hours, then I would put something along the line to distract them, like some dinosaurs in the trees, or information cards. The only we had was a couple oscillating fans that people looked forward to reaching in the hot summer heat. Once we reached the cover, there was an introduction video playing on some TVs, but that was during the last thirty-minutes. By then, the excitement increased again, and very soon we were on the ride itself. I won’t spoil it for you, but just so you know, it was a water ride as if you were in a tour boat of the island. Of course, I wish it was longer, but it was very good. They should make one another level up in one of the Jeeps, and by level up I mean scarier, crazier, and more awesome!

So the ride exited into a small gift shop, once you got off the boat obviously. There weren’t that many interesting dinosaur souvenirs, which was a shame. Most of the store catered to One Piece (a popular anime about pirates) and Sesame Street fans. Those two are also two big attractions in USJ. We ate lunch at the One Piece restaurant (right), where the most interesting thing on the menu was the “Giant Leg of Meat”. It was in fact a turkey leg, but it matched both the Jurassic Park and One Piece themes. As we ate, a couple of characters from the show also appeared and performed a short act in the cafeteria.

After lunch, we walked back around the pond, or some body of water, that is centered in the park. We passed Jaws and Snoopy land, and spent some time near the front of the park which was decorated with Hollywood stars, classic American motifs, and souvenir shops. By this time, we had seen a number of people carrying large, I mean HUGE, bags with Harry Potter on them. We assumed those people had already left the attraction— ‘why would they leave?’ we joked. In addition, we perused almost all of the souvenir shops until we found two that also sold merchandise from the Wizarding World. However, the real special items that were on our shopping list could only be found within the attraction itself. We suspended buying anything at the time ans circled the park until we reached the Spider-Man attraction.

The line for the Spider-Man simulator was incredibly deceiving. Starting from the outside door, you can actually see the entrance into what looks like the start of the adventure. But after that line zigzags once, it throws you down a long hallway and into another maze of waiting. At least this time the walls were decorated with Spider-Man art and newspapers. I can’t recall how long we waited, but I’m sure it was over an hour at least. Slowly the excitement picked up as we reached the area near the entrance that I had mentioned. Then, once we received our 3D Glasses the real excitement set in. Once again, I won’t spoil it, but the ride was brilliant! I would have rode it again if the line wasn’t so incredibly long.

As we departed from Spider-Man’s ride, we took the obligatory picture with the hanging Spider-Man in the alley. Unfortunately, they had a professional photographer in place there, so we couldn’t exercise our freedom with the poses. It’s not like we even wanted a print from them anyway, just the picture on our smartphone was suffice. From there, we grabbed a quick snack of smoothies and soft cream pretzels.

The heat continued to bore down on us, though we still had over an hour to wait before entering The Wizarding World. On our way towards the attraction, we passed through Jurassic Park again. This time, there was a raptor on the loose. It was one of the incredibly realistic robots, except for its legs. As I was taking its picture, it seemed to notice and purposely walked in my direction. When it was right in front of my face, I finally noticed that it was bigger than I expected. It almost reached me before one of its trainers, or whatever the assisting person is, called it away. As it turned, its huge tail took out a small child. I wish my brothers had been there with me to see it; they would have enjoyed it as well.

Soon, the last hour of waiting was upon us, but there was no real place to rest outside the entrance. We meandered into Snoopy land and rode around in circles inside giant cupcakes, and then, once we were tired of the Hello Kitty motifs we wandered back to The Wizarding World entrance. We sought out some shade amongst the giant circle of obelisks, found a cool pace to wait, and then counted down the minutes. Just before 5:30 we stepped into the new-forming line, becoming part of the first ten people to enter at that time.

As we traversed the path lined with coniferous trees we could start to hear the musical score from the Harry Potter soundtrack. Ron’s car was crashed near the trees. The true entrance quickly appeared before us, with its expected stone and wood architecture. The 9¾ train awaited near the entrance, across from various small specialty shops. In the center of the street was a stand selling the famous Butter Beer, which you could have regular or iced. We each ordered a cup, and continued to make our way up the street towards the castle of Hogwarts. Each store that lined the way was an eye-catcher, but first we intended to ride the castle ride. I can’t even begin to describe the level of excitement that was set on by the atmosphere. It would have been great to dress up, and even better to visit the attraction in winter, when the snow on the shop roofs would actually make sense. It goes without saying that the line for the castle ride was enormous, probably taking upwards of three hours from the entrance. The outside wasn’t much to look at, but once one enters the castle proper, then things became interesting. It was impossible to take pictures in the dark though. Then as the line proceeded, we dropped off our things in a locker, passed through Dumbledore’s office and approached the ride. No spoilers~ it was equally, if not more fun than the Spider-Man simulator. If I ever come back, my top priority will be to ride it again.

(We toasted with our  butter beers, which tasted just like crème soda. Here’s to us.)

We exited the castle into another souvenir shop, but once again, the items that we sought were not present, for example, chocolate frogs. By the time we were able to enter the specialty candy shop where they were sold, they were sold out. People were buying them by the dozens to take home as gifts for other people. We had only wanted one or two, so it didn’t seem fair, but anything that is limited appears more desirable. There would have to be a next time, someday, somehow. We proceeded to eat dinner at the resident restaurant, which also served turkey legs. It was about 15 dollars a plate, though I suppose that’s standard for theme park fare.

Night had come, and soon the park would be closing. We finally did some souvenir shopping of our own, some for us, some to give to our friends back home, or in Nagoya. The night parade was nearly about to start, but we were tired, dead on our feet to be honest. We regretfully left the park and said good-bye to our wonderful adventure.

Leaving the park proved to be quite interesting in itself. The UNIVERSAL City Walk that led towards the station was once again decorated in neon lights and American motifs. It looked like a fun place to explore, if we had the time and energy.

As we boarded the train to take us to Kobe, the cold that Joy had staved off all day suddenly hit with a vengeance. The train was also too crowded to sit down on for most of the way, so she had to bear it standing with us.

We had not made accommodations this trip, in part because we were trying to save money. If we found a karaoke place, we figured we might stay there till morning for not even a fifth of the price of a single hotel room. First, however, we wanted to make a stop at a bar run by one of Rachael’s good friend’s mom. Rachael and I spent most of the night there chatting with the owner, her son, and a couple other random customers. Aurianne and Joy had rightfully excused themselves to find a place to sleep. I made sure that they arrived at their place before enjoying the rest of the night with Rachael on my second wind of energy.

(Hogwarts, Universal Studios Japan, 2014)

AUGUST 1

Good morning, Kobe!

Rachael and I stayed at the bar until well after 3am. We went in search for the Internet Cafe that Joy and Aurianne were staying at, but they wouldn’t answer our calls. The only thing they had told us last night was that it was the same place we saw advertised outside the station that included all-you-can-eat ice cream. After finding that ad once again, we located the Internet Cafe and paid a visit to the front desk. Again, we didn’t really know where they were, so we had to ask by name. We just wanted to confirm that they were there, but the present manager went to check the rooms and brought back a drowsy Aurianne. With that, we confirmed that we had the right place, but it made no sense for us to pay the 1800 yen for only a few hours. Instead, we backtracked to the McDonald’s near the station and ordered some breakfast. There, we, along with other weary travelers and early birds, spent the next few hours loitering in McDonald’s basement cafe. Joy and Aurianne joined us after 7am, and we were back on the streets by 8.

That started a cyclic day of wandering, snacking, searching for places to rest our feet, more snacking and then more wandering. If you ask why, it is because once again, our bus wasn’t until the evening… as if we hadn’t learned anything from our trip to Mt. Fuji. In fact, we had no plans in particular for that second day in Kobe. After we bought some honey, and tasted some Kobe Beef at lunch our to-do list was pretty much complete.

The small steak of Kobe Beef that we ate was tender, juicy and delicious, but I can’t compare it to other beef that I have eaten simply because it’s been months since I have eaten steak. Everything else we ate was some form of sweet or bread, of which there seemed to be at every corner. We spent two or three hours just sitting in a cafe on one order of coffee, simply because we didn’t want to walk around anymore.

The bus couldn’t have arrived soon enough. On one hand, we wanted to shower, sleep and refresh, so we wanted to go home. But, on the other hand, once we returned home, the only thing that would remain for us would be packing and saying good-byes.

AUGUST 2

After a full night’s sleep, I packed up another round of goodies and prepared to head for Okazaki again. Rachael was having a Taco Party in her room, which I briefly attended, even though I swore off food several times since our indulgence yesterday. But, I couldn’t say no, she made special all-beef taco meat just for me.

I couldn’t hang around Nagoya forever because I had made plans to go to the Okazaki Fireworks Festival with Takahiro. The others would have come along as well, but they had already been to two or three other festivals, including the one in Gamagori.

This time, I dressed myself in the yukata all on my own. I still had all the ties and clips that I borrowed from Akane’s grandmother, so it was simply a matter of mimicking the process. It didn’t take too long, maybe not even twenty minutes. I was able to leave a bit early to meet Takahiro at the other end of the station, as we waited to meet his acquaintances from Canada. It was an interesting because he was actually invited to join a girl studying abroad and her host family at the festival. I sort of just tagged along as the outsider.

In fact, as it happened, the girl from Canada wasn’t present when her host mom picked us up. We went back to the house to wait for her to return, only to find out that she would be meeting us at the festival itself. At the time, there were other family members who had not yet even met the girl from Canada, so that’s who they assumed I was. Twenty minutes of being mistaken for someone else, but no one ventured to confirm my identity because they assumed I couldn’t speak Japanese. Finally, as we were about to head for the festival, I had the chance to speak and suddenly everything came to light.

One of the great things about living in a place that has little crime activity, and people in general respect one another, is that you can claim a space by laying down a blue tarp and no one will take it, even if you do so hours ahead of time and nobody is present to state the claim, just a name. Of course, everyone is doing it, so rightfully, everyone has the same opportunity.

The place that the host family claimed was down by the river. It was very close to the fireworks display, and one of the boats on the water, but we were actually watching from the back. We couldn’t see all of the special one-way designs, but we had a prime view over most of the large displays, and those that happened on the boat before us.

The event proceeded with fun and food, but it ended on a precarious note. Some of the other members in our group got sick from drinking too much. Takahiro had to catch the train home, but I stayed with them until their ride came to pick them up, and then I headed to the station to catch the last bus home. 

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 47

JULY 20

Despite the thinness of the mattress, I actually slept well last night, except for my neck. I really need to get a good pillow before anything else. Akane took me out shopping around Donki and the Daiso were I bought the essentials for new living: a wonderful micro-foam pillow, garbage sorting bags, a dust mop, and some food. I didn’t buy all that much because much of my kitchenware was still back in Nagoya. Moreover, I was going to be receiving various items from the other exchange students before they returned home, too. In the past, the students used to be able to leave items for the next round of students; however, for some reason we were no longer allowed to do that. So, the plan was that I would hold on to the extra things, take what I needed, and pass the rest on to the new students when they came in September.

Shopping took a little bit longer than expected. It was already past five by the time I returned to my apartment. Tonight, I had made plans to meet with the other exchange students down in Gamagori for the fireworks festival. I had to hurry, but I also had to get dressed in my yukata. If I hurried, I thought I could make it in time to meet the others at the station before six. That’s what I thought, but then Akane suggested having her grandmother help me with the yukata. I didn’t want to impose, but I also didn’t want to make a mistake either. Thankfully, they only lived a few minutes away by car, and her grandmother was more than willing to show me how it was done. I’m more than grateful that she did, too, because I hadn’t realized that I would need so many strings to hold things in place. She lent me all the necessary straps and ties, as well as an undershirt and a little bag to carry. The process took about a half an hour, but most of the time was spent by the grandmother asking questions or making comments: my sleeves were a bit short, but she could let them out a bit. Then, surprisingly, as she placed the obi around my waist she noted that it was small— my waist, that is in comparison to my hips. For the average slim build of a Japanese woman, a yukata can easily be wrapped. However, in order to accommodate for my size, the fabric needed to be rotated so that the top layer reached my side, leaving little to overlap with.

Alterations could be done at another time. It was past the meeting time, so I needed to hurry still. Akane dropped me off at the station, and I shuffled my way to the platform on my geta. I expected some looks, some acknowledgment that a foreigner is wearing a yukata, but if there were any then I didn’t notice. Often I heard about people getting stared at, but I guess my dark hair and eyes aren’t as interesting as the characteristic blond-haired, blue-eyed American.

After a short time, I finally arrived in Gamagori and met up with my friends before the huge mass of people swarmed the area. From the station’s exit, all the way out to the port side, crowds of people, both in yukata and western wear filled the streets. Food stalls lined one side, creating huge lines of people as well. I wish I had eaten beforehand, but we all were a little bit hungry. We broke up into groups to grab drinks and snacks before the show started. Little did we know that the first line we entered would take us over an hour. Right before we ordered our food, the fireworks countdown started.

(We watched the fireworks as we were in line for our “waffler corn” crepes.)

The fireworks were presented in rounds, each sponsored by a different company, or part of the city. The few of us still standing in line watched the fireworks from there as we sent the bulk of our group off to snag a spot to sit. In the end, we spent most of our time in line, and then searching for our group amongst the hundreds of people that we, or at least I, barely saw the fireworks. The ones that I did see were as good as they can get, and the musical accompaniments were very suitable.

The show ended around 9pm, but we made the mistake of staying until the end. When we walked back toward the station, we soon saw that the line for the trains was winding around outside the station. It would move in chunks, but it was incredibly long. I’ve had enough of lines to last me a lifetime!!

JULY 21

I don’t think I have mentioned it, but as part of our grammar and reading class final this semester, we actually have to do a presentation. That presentation had to be something related to the school system’s in our home country. This wasn’t like our survey class, where we were simply comparing the differences, nor were we going to present this in front of our own class. It all started when we were told to look up an article and bring it to class. One thing led to another, and the topic of education came up. That’s when it was decided that we would give presentations on education to Mrs. Yamamoto’s seminar class.

The topic that I chose was homeschooling. It’s hardly ever practiced in Japan, but in America and other parts of the world, it is an increasing alternative to attending regular school. Personally, I was home-schooled when I was in the 7th and 8th grade. I learned a lot about responsibility and motivation at that time, and it was also when I started to really practice drawing. I don’t remember much of the daily schedules, but I can recall hands-on experiments, field trips, and time to expand my own interests. These are only a few of the benefits of homeschooling which I presented to the seminar class. None of them had heard of it before.

I haven’t thought much of it before, but I suppose the Japanese education system is incredibly standardized. It doesn’t seem to promote much individual growth either. Part of that is due to the society’s group mindset, which as a whole I don’t think is a terrible thing. I can understand why it’s hard for many people to have unique ideas if they are brought up in such a society. Yet, at the same time, I have met many incredibly unique and gifted people in the past year. They’re still individuals, even if they walk the same path as others.

JULY 22

Our final survey class today ended with a small interview from our professor’s daughter. Though only in middle school, she is incredibly motivated. Currently, she is doing research on skin color and prejudices, and she’s going far beyond her school assignment to do so. Interviewing us exchange students from America was only a fraction of her report. After months of answering questions like, ‘What’s your favorite food?’ ‘How did you study Japanese?’ and other surface-level questions we were taken-aback when she asked us ‘Have you ever seen or experienced prejudice in your life?’ Remember what I said about those unique and gifted people? There you go.

JULY 23

Today was another prime example of meeting someone you should have met months ago. Through a friend’s introduction, I met Anisa, an exchange student from Indonesia. She is also Muslim, like me, so she was also participating in Ramadan. We only spoke briefly today, but we are going to try to plan something for this coming Monday, which is Eid, the holiday at the end of Ramadan.

On that note, I actually couldn’t fast today, which was convenient because today was also the day of the Farewell Party put on by the University. It wasn’t quite as grand as last semester’s, since there was less food options on the table. Instead, we had a buffet of sushi which is a feast in itself. A couple people cried as they gave their farewell and thank you speeches. Overall, this time the occasion felt more unfortunate. There wasn’t as much laughter as before, and that feeling seemed to be felt in the new students as well. We were lucky enough to be part of such a great group, everyone got along, and we were all friends…an international family. Why is our time so short?

Well, we can’t wonder and mope about it all day. I had to go to training, so I took another load of luggage (round 2) down with me. Most of my stuff is now at the new apartment, but I haven’t received anything from the others yet. Hopefully it’s only a couple more trips.

JULY 24

Let’s forget about the grammar exam we had this morning. It wasn’t horrible, but I made a good handful of silly mistakes, particularly on the last section. I studied that section in particular, but I went ahead and made the same mistakes. Hopefully the rest fared better.

After dance practice, I met with Rachael at the cafe for Open Mic Night rehearsal. We sung outside the cafe to warm up as others went through their own rehearsals. When it came to us, our music came from an MP3, so it was just the two of us standing there singing a duet. Should he turn up the microphone’s volume? I don’t know. I’m not thinking when I’m standing up there.

OK, not panicking. I have the lyrics down, and by some form of magic confidence I have broken down the initial barrier that would otherwise prevent me from even speaking in front of a crowd. Still, I could probably do better. Tomorrow’s the big day after all.

JULY 25

Final presentations for our culture class started off our morning. I was anxious to leave because I needed to catch the train down to Gamagori to meet with the company I had been training with. We were finally going to go to the embassy to hand in the visa request forms. If you haven’t guessed already, I got the job! Now, all we need to work through is the visa process. They say it can take as little as two weeks, or up to three months. I hope it’s the former.

(Waiting at immigrations…)

Once the paperwork was turned in, and no problems seemed to be at hand, it was already well into the afternoon, nearing on 5pm. Without delay, I caught the train back from Toyohashi (where the immigrations office was) and headed towards Nagoya.

By the time I reached the cafe, rehearsals were coming to a close. Rachael and I briefly went over the lyrics one last time, and then I broke my fast and waited. The song that we had chosen was called Summer Paradise, and it seemed fitting due to the fact that my closest friends would soon be returning to Hawaii.

I was nervous, but in spite of myself, I tried to open up our performance with a lively greeting and introduction in English and Japanese. I could feel the tightness creep into my throat, but I fought to keep it at bay. For three minutes, I stepped out of myself and trusted my actions. Soon our duet was over, and I left the stage to Rachael for a hula dance performance. I sung, I laughed, and I had fun. It wasn’t perfect, but I did it. We did it. If Rachael hadn’t been there, I would never have even dared to try. Maybe that’s what I’m missing when it comes to dancing— someone I can trust and lean on, no matter what.

JULY 26 - JULY 27

Oh my goodness. This sickness came out of nowhere. I could only bear to sleep on Saturday, and Sunday was much of the same. Then again, I was so tired; I think I needed the rest. Hopefully I’ll be better tomorrow~

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 46

JULY 14

I’m surprised I didn’t feel particularly sore or tired when I woke up this morning. Personally, I felt a bit stronger, and a little less class-oriented. In conversation class I tried to use the time to talk about our weekend, since none of us wanted to study. It was a hard bait to bite, but eventually they caught on.

Usually our day would end there, but we had another appointment set for fourth period. A graduate student at the university was researching tea, and its role in different culture. As a result, we, the resident different cultures, were going to meet with him for an interview. It was kind of sad, because he had come all the way from Toyohashi for an interview that could have easily been done over e-mail. I regret saying that there was no inviting feeling amongst the exchange students who did show up for the interview, and it was mostly us Americans. Granted, there isn’t much that we can say about tea, in and of itself. Those of us with any particular tea background were largely influenced by Japanese tea traditions. There really was nothing to say. However, despite our poor efforts, the young man was kind enough to bring us all a thank you gift for our participation. That made me feel a bit guilty, but the deed was done.

JULY 15

Tonight I’m hanging out with some members from BPM~ I’m not sure what the plans are exactly. There was going to be a get together later in August, but it would be either when I was back in America, or in process of moving. I asked if we could also do one this month also, and they planned it for tonight. A Tuesday night, of all things, but at least my morning class is just over the kanji from chapter 15.

JULY 16

Last night was great! It started out kind of rocky on my end, but in the end we had a great time.

After practice, I hurried home to shower and then back out to Nagoya Station where I expected to meet the rest of the group. I was early, but then they decided to eat at Saizeriya before coming to the Station. I started in their direction, but they said it wouldn’t be long, so I bought my own dinner at McDonald’s and ate in on the corner. It was kind of embarrassing just sitting there and eating by myself, but I assumed they would come any minute. It was almost 11pm when they finally arrived; I was expecting a slightly bigger group, but there were only eight people. Maybe I was a little disappointed not to see certain faces that I was more close to, but I was glad to have the company anyway. I say that like this day was planned for me, which it was in my head, but really, I think it was just a hang out for them.

We caught the Meitetsu heading north of Nagoya and got off at Biwajima. From there, it was a short walk to Japan Rental Car, which up until that point I assumed only dealt with rental cars. Apparently, it’s also a karaoke place that allows one’s party to bring in their own food and drink (no sneaking). So the guys went out to buy the snacks and drinks, while the girls all settled in the room and changed into more comfortable clothes. They’re always dressed up to go somewhere, but I appreciate it when they finally let loose and tromp around in sweats. We managed to sing the night away, song after song, most of which I didn’t know. I really should practice more Japanese songs, but I hardly know any in my vocal range.

Day came, and the lot of us hobbled out into the light. Once again, I hadn’t slept, so I was awake, but tired. Once again, maybe for the last time, I headed straight to campus to review for the kanji quiz. During second period I half-napped in one of the empty classrooms. I couldn’t have prepared more for my thank you and farewell speech anyway. It was meant for BPM, but the atmosphere yesterday didn’t grant me the chance to read it. I’m not sure whether I should make a big deal out of the fact that I will be leaving, or not, since I will still be in Japan.

JULY 17

This morning we had something called a ‘first check’ of our apartments. Basically, Mr. Yoshida came to inspect our room to see if it was in one piece or if anything was messing. He also checked the condition of our bikes. I waited all morning for my turn, as supposedly each person would take up to thirty minutes. Most of that time was spent chatting in my case, since my room was clean and everything was in order. The next and ‘last check’ would be the final day we are allowed in our rooms; we will be returning our student IDs, our keys and our bikes. I could easily have set my last day to be the first of August, since I already have a new apartment to move in to. However, as the last of the students will be leaving on the sixth I volunteered to stay until the seventh so they had a place to sleep for the night after turning in their keys on the fifth.

Only two more days until I get the keys to my new place!

Speaking of which, I had to call the electric and gas company before I moved in. I had been putting the task of for the past few days because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. With only two days remaining, I had no choice but to call them today. First, I went to the international center and asked if they might help me with the call. In return they confidently said, ‘But you speak Japanese very well, why don’t you call them?’ I called the electric company first as I stood in front of them, just in case. I don’t know why I had been so nervous; the call was very quick and to the point. ‘What’s your address, when are you moving in, how will you make the payments?’ I have to thank the international center for believing in me. Now, I know that I can handle basic phone conversations like that on my own as well. I’ll be all right.

JULY 18

Game Night! It would have been amazing if the Sloppy Joes weren’t made with mixed beef. I basically ate chip sandwiches since I couldn’t have the meat, but they were really good chip sandwiches. We played Phase 10 the entire time, finally making it up to the 7th Phase. I need to find this game and buy it, though I don’t know who I will play with after everyone leaves…

JULY 19

Let the move in begin! I loaded up my rucksack and packed various odd shaped things, like pots and other necessary knick knacks around my room into the large blue luggage that I brought with me when I came to Japan. Then I set out from my room in Chambre 72. Today, I was heading down to Okazaki on my own, so I only took the first load along with me. It just so happened that today Shin and some of the guys were meeting to play futsal at the usual place. Mark and I hung out with Shin for a few hours last night, but I wanted to see the other futsal members as well, if I had the chance. It was a little out of the way, but I had left early for that reason.

As I marched down the street, dragging my luggage along, I noticed something was dragging. Just as I turned the corner that would take me down towards the campus, the wheel gave out. It didn’t break out, but the bottom support literally caved in on itself. I wasn’t about to haul that monster any further than was absolutely necessary, so I doubled back and went straight to the station. Thankfully, despite a little rain, the walk from Okazaki Station to the apartment dealers went considerably smoothly. I signed a few papers, received my keys, and walked up the road to my apartment.

Just as I entered my apartment the sky opened and it started to downpour. It was half-past 11am at the time, and the gas man was scheduled to arrive until 2pm. My first task was to turn on the breaker, but there were no instructions, just a switchboard near the door. My estimated guesses failed, so I asked Jason to take a picture of the breaker in his apartment. I knew that they were the same design, so I just needed to know which switches were up and which were down. It turned out that all I needed to change was the giant main switch, silly me.

After that, there was little else I could do so I unpacked my poor suitcase and laid on the patio furniture mattress that would be my bed until I bought a real futon. I waited and waited as the rain poured on and on. The gas man called around 2pm to say he would be an hour late. Had I known that, I might have tried to run to the hyaku-en shop as the rain slowed down. So I waited some more and the gas man finally came and did his job. Now I’ll have hot water as well.

Tonight it’s off to training again, and I’ll be spending my first night in my new home.