STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 32

APRIL 6

Two weeks from today I will be in Tokyo, watching what may be one of the biggest dance events in Japan, live.

In seven weeks there is a freestyle battle down in Toyohashi that I’m very tempted to participate in, if I can find two other people to dance with on my team.

And, in fourteen weeks, it will be my birthday. No plans yet, but there are so many possibilities.

Rather than practicing at the park as usual, tonight I joined the others for practice at the Naka District Office. The building’s entrance area is all glass, which is perfect for dancers because of the reflection. It also helps that the grounds are well paved and flat. There’s no gravel carried over from the nearby field grounds.

APRIL 7

Classes have officially started. Mondays are very similar to last semester, with only grammar class on the schedule. The only difference is that now it is during second period, instead of third. As for the rest of my free time, of course I spent it in the library. This time I started to edit my manga’s pages on my laptop. I am finally through chapter nine, but there is so much to go. If nothing else, I definitely want to finish this before my birthday!

APRIL 8

Our morning survey class was canceled today. We only had conversation class during second period; this semester we are going to be using a conversation specific text book, separate from the Intermediate-Advanced text book for grammar and kanji class.

I had planned to edit some more pages today, but I forgot my mouse at home. It wouldn’t have been worth the walk home to get it, so I worked on my website instead. That took up all of my time until dance practice. We’re still working on the choreography… the showcase is next week!

APRIL 9

Kanji class went as per usual. In fact, our actual kanji list is no different from the one we studied last semester. That means, our quizzes will be the same, we just won’t have to present the kanji in front of the class. Instead, the class will mainly be dedicated to composition and learning the written style of Japanese, rather than simply writing in plain or polite form.

Second period was free, but with third period came Business Japanese. Talk about an ego breaker. First, we started class out with a short personal information form regarding why we wanted to take the class. I was at a loss as to what to write for some of the sections like ‘How does this relate to your major?’ It really doesn’t, I just wanted to take the class. Then, we had a practice listening test. It was the same kind of listening questions that would appear on the BJT, or Business Japanese Test. I had one correct answer out of ten.

The clincher happened near the end of class when were practicing the proper way to bow. The main difference between women and men is where they place their hands during the bow. Men keep their hands straight at their sides, while women clasp them lightly in front of themselves. I had my hands clasped and the teacher came over to put my hands at my sides, then she looked up with a slightly shocked face and apologized saying, ‘Oh sorry, I thought you were just a cute boy.’

That was more than just embarrassing. My hair is still a little short, but I’m trying to grow it back out. I can’t help it if I have strong shoulders and I’m among the taller members of the class. The other girls in the class are all Chinese or Taiwanese, so they have slimmer frames. I can understand the mistake, but only to a point. It was kind of a damper on the day.

APRIL 10

Grammar class in the morning and then Mark, Jason and I went to the International Studies Club’s Snack Party. We were invited by one of the other exchange students, Cho, from China. I still had practice, but I thought I would at least stop by for a little bit since she invited me. It was a nice chance to talk to some new people and indulge in free snacks, but eventually I had to leave for practice.

It was still early, but when I got down to the campus mall, I found out that the group had gone through most of the new choreography already. I was behind, but I caught on to the new choreography quickly. On top of that, each member had to think of a 4-count during the bridge of the song. We worked together and were able to finish all the choreography today, but for some reason I didn’t feel much like part of the group. I don’t know why that is. Maybe I expect to contribute more to the group, or at least for them to try a little harder to inform me of what they’re doing.

I wouldn’t say this feeling of exclusion has anything to do with cultural or language differences. It may just be my own inner struggle between the two dance genres that I am imposing on the current situation. That and things have been relatively uninspiring the past few days. Time to decompress.

APRIL 11

Game night at Heart n’ Soul Cafe! Our first game night event, but apparently they have one every second Friday of the month. Actually, Joy and Rachael had come once before so they knew the order of things. Not only that, but dinner is free. Tonight was some light sandwiches and chips. We spent the hours playing Janga (“UNBALANCE”) and Blox. The competition level got pretty high, and often it was a match between me and Marie. We were still at a tie for wins and losses when time ran out. I can’t wait to go to the next Game night for a rematch!!

APRIL 12

Movie night with the Hawaiian students!! Tonight we watched 21 Jump Street in Rachael’s room, which also meant that Rachael cooked us all dinner. It was a much needed day for us all to chill out with each other. I can’t remember the last time outside of school we all hung out together.