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 42

JUNE 15

Akane and I headed to the apartment dealers this morning. I didn’t expect too much when we arrived because the place looked like a smaller dealer, unlike the big names in the business: Minimini, Suumo, etc. Thankfully, I was wrong.

It was only our first meeting, but they were able to pull out five locations within twenty minutes of the station that were under 400 a month. Not only that, but none of the locations minded whether or not I was a foreigner. I think that part of that reason was because I went to the dealer in person and they could see for themselves what sort of level my Japanese was at. At least, when he spoke on the phone with the owners, that fact came up each time. Each of the places he showed me fits my preferences, so it’s hard to pick on above the other. I do have a favorite that I’ve seen during my Internet searches as well. Next week, we’ll be back to check out the places in person.

With business taken care of, Akane and I biked over to Aeon Mall. We were basically killing time until twilight, when we were going to meet with Jon and a couple of Akane’s friends to go see the fireflies. The way she talked about them, it made me think that they were a rare sight to see; little floating magical orbs. Going to see the fireflies seemed to be one of the past-times at this time of year, so I anticipated the event.

We drove up into the mountains on the curviest road I have ever been on in my life. It was only two-lanes, so we had to be careful around each corner. Deep out in the country, only surrounded by fields and then towering trees. I was enjoying the scenery along the winding ride when suddenly we were told to stop outside of a tunnel and park along the side of the road. There was only other car in the area, so we thought it was a bit fishy. But, we all got out of the car and walked through the tunnel to the other side. Then it quickly became apparent as to why we had to park so suddenly. Both sides of the road were already lined with cars of other people who had come to see the fireflies. The area was particularly popular because of the clean water in the river which ran next to the mountain’s forests.

These fireflies that were the call of everyone’s attention are the same ‘lightning bugs’ that fill our backyards every summer in Toledo. Jon and I had to laugh because this was a normal sight for us. Though, I suppose, if they only gather in these secluded areas, then it would be a rare sight for the average Japanese citizen.

There was a small trail leading down from the road, past an elementary school, down to the riverside and then back up to the road. It did not take long to walk the entire trail, so soon we were heading back to the car. We ended up in the middle of the pack, meaning that a whole new group of go-seers had arrived after us, and some still arriving. As for us, we had only snacked on some mochi while we were there so we went off to find food. At that time of night, the only place open was Denny’s. I had pancakes for dinner.

JUNE 16

…Manga…

JUNE 17

After dance practice I headed to the City Pal apartments to join the Cho-Ko party. This month both Cho, one of the exchange students, and Natsuko, the Japanese student who is assisting with our culture class, have birthdays, so they created a party together. Many of the members still left at the party were the new Chinese exchange students, so afterward when we went to karaoke many of the songs were in Chinese. We stayed until morning, so once again I let two of the girls stay in my room overnight.

JUNE 18

…Training…and it’s raining…

(View from the JR train from Nagoya to Gamagori as it rains.)

(My first attempt to explain the hard and soft ‘th’ sounds.)

JUNE 19

…Manga…Dance…

JUNE 20

Game night, we meet once again!

We started out playing Blocks, but as the members at our table grew, Rafael suggested that we play Phase 10. The makers of UNO know how to make great card games. As the name suggests, there are 10 Phases of the game, but some of us only reached the third Phase before time ran out. I’m looking forward to playing it again next month. Though, sadly it will be our last Game Night together… June is going by too quickly!!

Once again, I went to dance in Naka District with the guys. I happened to see a few more familiar faces, including that of Pepsiman. The Pepsiman I knew was always wearing short shorts, and he danced very feverishly. Today, he wasn’t dancing, and seemed a lot calmer than usual. I greeted him and we ended up talking; it turns out that he hasn’t practiced dance recently, he was frustrated with it. In some ways I understood him because I was having troubles with dance recently as well. In his case, he had been so competitively recently that dance wasn’t fun anymore, he needed to rethink it. I, on the other hand, need to up my ante and challenge myself more.

There was something self-assuring about hearing that he, as well as other dancers, have had their hard times as well. It seems to be an obvious fact, but to hear it from their own mouths really hits home. It’s hard now, but soon, very soon I’ll be free to dance and improve again. If I think about it, when I started drawing, I made a good jump my first year, and then it was a consistent slow but steady progress. I didn’t notice it because I was just enjoying myself; I wasn’t comparing my skills to others as much. Then I made a few more jumps, and here I am. If I put my mind to it, I can create anything. I think, once this project of mine is completed, I can do that again.

JUNE 21

We had a make-up class today, in place for the survey class we missed at the beginning of the semester. What really happened is we watched Mark and Aurianne’s final presentation for the class. They are in the new B class, so we usually don’t get to see each other’s presentations. However, for these final presentations, the teacher wants us all to present together, so from next week on our class times will overlap.

After class I went to training and then karaoke again with Rachael and a few others. How can I say no when our time together seems so short?

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 31

MARCH 30

It started out as a rainy day, so I assumed that there would be no practice. On the contrary, Humito and Zawarun headed to the park to dance for a while. It was at the same time that Rachael and I were having lunch at Naan Curry, so I didn’t notice the group messages until afterward. I tried to catch them in time for some practice, but it was already too late. Instead, Rachael and I just hung out in her room watching videos and relaxing. Tomorrow we have to go to AIDAI for Orientation.

MARCH 31

Spring Semester Orientation started today. It went along in the same fashion as it did back in September for the fall semester. They kept us at school from 9am to 2pm, meeting with Mrs. Yamamoto to decide classes and then waiting until the afternoon to receive our paperwork. We weren’t so excited to find out that the semester rent went up to 309000 yen, almost 900 dollars more than we paid last semester because we are receiving the JASSO scholarship. The main problem was that we only planned to pay the usual 216000 yen, so that was ll the money we had. We needed to pay the rent money within the next couple weeks, but we wouldn’t receive the scholarship money until the end of the month. In other words, we’ll have to withdraw from abroad or pay late in order to cover the extra money.

Financial issues aside, Jason and I are thinking of taking the Business Japanese course this semester. It’s not a part of the regular study abroad student courses, but it is geared toward international students. The course does collide with drama class… the one class I looked forward to. We don’t know if we will be allowed to take the course yet, so we’re taking the week to think it over. I think it would be a great opportunity, particularly for me since I want to stay and work in Japan.

Once the Orientation ended, I went to reserve the multi-purpose room for practice, just as I had promised on Friday. It was a chance for the graduated seniors to get one last practice in before they started work tomorrow, on the first day of April. This time a couple dozen people came to use the room, and then I went out to eat with five of the guys at Bikkuri Donki. As I’ve mentioned before, their hamburgers are mixed with pork, so this time I order their pizza. As we ate, we had an incredible conversation that went from famous dancers, to drawing, to the movie Kick @$$, and then a full and extended explanation of the Metal Gear Solid storyline. I didn’t think about it until now, but I was able to follow that whole conversation in Japanese, and that was no simple explanation. Maybe I can handle Business Japanese class…

APRIL 1

For the rest of the week, the clubs and circles are holding presentations for the incoming freshmen. The campus mall is now lined with tables, little booths, and students handing out information on their clubs. I had rehearsal for about an hour in the studio to practice the hip hop showcase, but then I hung out at the BPM table for a while. Only a few stopped by our table at first, but then we had a couple rounds of freshmen girls roll in. Ponhiro, one of our break dancers, was our charisma man, and he did most of the talking. We were also able to grab the attention of a few freshmen guys as the day went on. Then, out of nowhere, three foreigners show up. The club members asked me to talk to them, but they weren’t students. The three men were working at JICA, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and they were from Mexico, so we ended up speaking in Japanese anyway. I doubt they’ll be showing up to the club, but what are the odds that they’d show up at AIDAI today?

APRIL 2

Girl’s Day out~! I think the only girls I really hang out with are the international students actually. I don’t really know what Japanese usually do for fun, except for karaoke, but that’s exactly what we went out to do this afternoon. Rachael, Chaerim and I went to karaoke for a few hours: it was a tiny little room, which I usually don’t like because there’s no room to move around and be in one’s own zone. Today it wasn’t that bad though. Time went by really quickly, and we sung a lot of songs for the three hours.

When karaoke was over, Rachael and I headed out to Fushimi to meet Joy and Aurianne at Shooter’s. Wednesdays have special discounts on salads, sandwiches, and desserts, so that’s what we ordered. Most of us ordered the taco salad, which was authentic American taco salad. For dessert, we ordered the apple pie and sundae to split between the four of us. Shooter’s never disappoints. The apple pie was perfect, crispy and juicy. Joy and the others have already promised to come back next Wednesday for the pie.

As it happens, we always eat so much food when we hang out. It has to stop. Just kidding, I love these guys; I wouldn’t quit hanging out with them for anything. I’m really going to miss them.

APRIL 3

The clubs were still advertising themselves until noon, so we couldn’t start practice until the mall was cleared around 2pm. We finished the choreography for the “second song”— all this time the song we have been working on was the second of two. Then, when it seemed that we were done for the day, I headed back to the break dance side of the mall. It wasn’t until a little later that I noticed they started working on the choreography for the first song! They didn’t even tell me that they were starting because they figured I wanted to continue practicing break dancing. I don’t understand why there seems to be a separation between the genres in most cases. I’m not going to let that stop me though; I’m just going to dance the way I want to.

APRIL 4

We turned in the course selection forms today. Jason and I are going to challenge the Business Japanese class! At least if it turns out to be hard, we can rely on each other.

In the afternoon, the female students were all scheduled for their health check. Yes, this took place at school. They sectioned off the entire fifth floor and used the different rooms for different medical stations: blood pressure, height and weight, eye sight, chest x-ray, pee on a stick, all those fun things. It was really weird because it was at school, but the x-ray car was still outside on the first floor, so they created a covered tunnel for the girls to walk through to the car after we changed into medical shirts.

It’s actually pretty convenient when you think about it. The hardest part about it was trying to understand the medical form because it was all written in Japanese. During the initial process where we had to fill out the personal information we spent a good while translating each of the selections. Even so, the translations didn’t always make sense so we had to as the present nurses for guidance. I’m glad that we get these kind of challenges. If they gave us English forms, I would have wanted to challenge the Japanese one anyway.

APRIL 5

Spring cleaning time! I spent most of the day cleaning up my room and doing laundry. A new girl moved in at the end of the hall. We happened to run into each other in the hall after I put my laundry in the machine, so she gave me some omiyage. Yummy little egg cakes in decorative chick shapes. It was a good treat for the day before I headed down to Gamagori for more training.

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 28

MARCH 9

SOUL BREAK!

I started my morning out with a good breakfast, stretching, and mental preparation. For all the good that did. At around 10:45 I went to Nagoya Station to meet with Yusei at 11am. My nerves were calm until literally the clock struck 11am. Then all the nerves hit me like a brick. There was also some miscommunication between Yusei and I; we planned to meet at the Silver Clock, but for some reason he was waiting just outside the station, probably no more than a twenty-feet from me. Once we sorted that out, we headed to Pineapple Studios.

The studio was already full of people when we arrived, so there was little room to warm-up and practice. I greeted other members from BPM, shyly admitting to the fact that I was going to participate in the battle today. Our new co-captain assured me that I would be fine since I was always practicing, but his kind words did little to settle my nerves.

Other things that I had been oblivious to also came to light once the battles started. Yusei and I were the third battle in Group B. As we watched the first battle, I finally internalized the meaning of a 2-move battle. Each member of the team would dance twice… twice! I only planned for one move, and even that was iffy. The level of this competition was also ridiculously high because the teams were competing to battle against BBOY Taisuke. There’s nothing like trying to debut in a place that you don’t belong.

Our turn came quickly. Yusei and I stepped into the circle to face our opponents; I heard encouraging cheers from the BPM members, but I couldn’t feel them. I was too busy trying to face the situation before me. I was resolved; listen to the music, don’t stop, don’t give up. It was a strong mantra, but once the music started, all rational thought went out the window.

Time seemed to pass slowly, but I jumped in first. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought, but during the move I kept slipping on the floor, and there was just no strength in my arms. It felt like I was just messily rolling about the floor. Then of course, our opponents with the 80s mullets, were quite good. Three more moves passed before I had the chance to mentally come back to the present. It was my move again. I looked at the judge for confirmation, and he gestured for me to start. If the first move was passable, I don’t know what to call the second move. It was mostly the same, since I had nothing else prepared. However, it felt more emotionally taxing, and even though I hadn’t really expected to win the ‘we already lost’ feeling was apparent.

After our defeat, I quietly floated around the room for a while. My brain kept replaying the battle in my head. Eventually, I went outside to take a walk and clear my head. The walk helped. Without deciding whether it went well or not, the fact was that I tried. Part of me wished I could try again, just undo and reattempt the battle with a different perspective. With that personal assurance I headed back to the Studio. The number of people in the studio had increased as the time for BBOY Taisuke’s battle was coming closer. Mark had also come for the same reason.

I had no interest, so I spent a lot of my time wandering around and people watching. Dancing may not be my strong point yet, but making new friends and simply talking to people seems to be. I made a few new acquaintances and enjoyed the rest of the event after all. Just like last time, we headed to Ken’s house afterward for a post-battle hang out. Yusei just got his license, but Zawarun let him drive his stick-shift car to Ken’s place. It started off a bit rocky, but he picked up on it quickly.

During the drive we happened to pass a Burger King near Tsurumai! I had never ever seen one in Japan before, so I assumed there wasn’t any. I’ll have to try to find it again one day.

We hung out, ate sushi, and played cards for a couple hours before I had to catch the subway home. It was around 11pm or so when I arrived back at Nakamura Kuyakusho Station, but rather than going straight home I went for another walk. That’s one of the nice things about my neighborhood; I can just take a walk at 11pm without any problems. It was very peaceful, and with today done I’m ready to move to the next level.

MARCH 10

I cut my hair this morning. I think I over did it, but thankfully I was using thinning sheers, so it was a gradual mistake. Mostly the bangs are too short I think. Oh well, it will grow back.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to hang out with Akane. Today, we hung out in Anjo and went bowling, and then Jon won these from the arcade. It is Okazaemon, the mascot of Okazaki City.

After all that fun and excitement, I wasn’t too happy about the fact that it was snowing again. There was even a rumor that it might stop the trains from running! All the more reason winter should end. Things seem to still be pretty unfortunate back home— lots of snow, low temperatures, an unrelenting winter. Despite those rumors, the trains proceeded with no problems, and after bowling we met with Jessica and Zi for curry. I can’t believe Jessica’s leaving at the end of the month! We’ve barely had any chances to hang out. Hopefully, we can get one more hang out in before she’s gone, too.

MARCH 11

The soreness lingers on. It’s bearable throughout the day, but it’s starting to get hard to sleep. I’m not even sure what the best approach to relieving it is. I’ve tried taking hot showers, simply relaxing, and stretching it out, but nothing relieves it. For now, I’m just going to go on with my life and keep going to practice.

Speaking of which, the seniors have finally finished coming up with the choreography for their showcase tomorrow. I wish I could go, but I have training down in Gamagori. I probably watched their final practice a dozen times over, and I’m still just in awe of their teamwork and skill level. We’re having a send-off party for them in a couple weeks… say it isn’t so!

MARCH 12

I really don’t want to go to the doctor, but last night I could barely sleep at all because of the strain in my back. I naturally rotate around when I’m sleeping, so getting stuck in one position contrarily upsets my sleep cycle. I also prefer to sleep on my side, but that’s when I feel the strain the most. Oddly enough there is a chiropractor on my way home from school, and I’ve also looked up what sort of doctors are in the area, just in case. But, I really don’t want to go. I just don’t like going to a doctor, period.

In other news, I have committed myself to going to see a HUGE dance event in Tokyo next month: Dance@LIVE. It’s the finals off the competition that have been going on all year long. Remember, I went to watch Dance@RIZE back in September to cheer on BPM? It’s the same competition. I don’t know if anyone from BPM is going, but my friend and I are going to go for the weekend and check it out!

MARCH 13

Dance practice Thursdays! All day from 2pm to 9pm, just trying to improve somehow.

MARCH 14

Today, March 14th, is White Day! It’s the “answer” day to Valentine’s Day, so in this case the men give something back to the women. And, nothing special happened to me whatsoever. Not even some return chocolate from the random people I gave chocolate, too. Of course, I didn’t see anyone today except for the people down in Gamagori. That may not be a bad thing since many of the White Day gifts are white chocolate (not a big fan) or marshmallows, which probably have gelatin so I can’t eat them.

MARCH 15

I had another day of training down in Gamagori. Recently, I have been helping out with the Eiken classes a lot. Part of the reason is because I can quickly understand the answers, without the need of the answer book. Another reason might be because a few of the upper level students have lived abroad, or somehow are at a high level of English recognition, so I can even explain the definition of words to them in English. I try not to use Japanese, but sometimes I catch myself slipping into Japanese because certain things are just easier to say that way. The only problem with working with high-level students is that it’s hard to see if they are progressing when most of the studying is dedicated to learning new words, out of the two-thousand or so that are part of their current level. I have this same problem studying by myself; there are just so many words. If I study, I can remember them, but continuing to study is the challenge. I’m thinking about taking the N2, the second highest level, in the Japanese Proficiency test, in July.

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 26

FEBRUARY 23

Yesterday, Saturday, my throat started feeling a bit weird. By the time I came home from Gamagori I had a full-on sore throat and a fever. I did not leave my room today. I barely left my bed. I was so tired that I even messaged Mark to ask him to bring me some juice (since once again I had nothing in my fridge). Thankfully, he replied before I pushed myself out of bed to go to the convenience store myself. Apple juice, orange juice, and a veggie mix. I drank juice. I slept. And I continued to sleep for the rest of the night.

FEBRUARY 24~FEBRUARY 28

I woke up on Monday morning feeling significantly better. The head cold has now condensed itself into sinus drainage, which is usually a sign for me that it’s coming to an end.

The Hawaiian students are heading to Korea for a week with Chaerim. They, like most of the other students, are using their spring break to travel around Japan, or visit their families in Korea/Taiwan/China. Of course, traveling to Korea from Japan is really cheap, so it was a good opportunity to go. I had more reasons not to go than I had to go. I wanted to hang out with the others, but at the same time, the only thing I knew about Korea was through Korean Pop, and in that sense, I really just cared about the dances, not necessarily the groups. Also, Chaerim said that most of the dishes over there use pork, and it would be hard to find something that I could eat. But above all that, I wanted to stay in Nagoya so I could get more practice in, more training experience, and more rest. I’m still wiped out from the Hokkaido trip.

I only had to go down to Gamagori once this week, on Wednesday, so I was able to spend as much time as I wanted at dance practice on Tuesday and Thursday. Many of the members are planning for another small event down at the Toyohashi campus. They’re calling it buropa, but they said it doesn’t mean anything. Only the break dancers seemed to be having a normal practice session, which was perfect since that’s exactly what I needed. I also went to the park on Friday and met a new member. He kind of dabbles in various kinds of dance, all of which he’s learned from watching videos. He’s also incredibly springy; he can do back flips, and just about anything if you show it to him. I’m not sure if I’m jealous or simply overwhelmed with the fact that he can just DO things. Okay, I am kind of jealous, but of the fact that he’s willing to challenge things head on. I need that kind of confidence for dance more often.

MARCH 1

Our first month of spring break has passed so quickly! Everyday has been busy with training and dance… Honestly, these last few weeks have been something of an ideal lifestyle. Wake up when I want, dance, go to “work”, repeat. No pressures of homework, presentations or deadlines. I’m living at my own pace, and doing the things I want to do. Who could ask for more?

Today was another great day dedicated to dance. There weren’t that many people at the park, despite it being Saturday, but Ken, Sato and a few other members filtered in over the course of the day. I could have stayed and hung out with them all day, but by 7pm I had no more energy left. I booked it home on my bike and made it just in time to buy groceries from Aoki before it closed at 9pm. This is a small side note, but it was my first time using the public bike-lock meters. I’m always worried that they’ll shut and I won’t have the money on me, so I haven’t used them at all. Today, however, all the other bike parking was full, so I used the public bike-lock right outside the store. It said the first thirty minutes were free, so I hurriedly bought my groceries and was in-and-out with time to spare. Free is good.