STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 43

JUNE 22

I am still in shock.

This morning Akane and I went back to the apartment dealer. There were three out of five places that we could go see today, and the first one just so happened to be my first pick as well. As soon as I stepped in I knew it was the place. I didn’t really want to see the other places, but I didn’t want to make an impulsive decision, so we did check out the other two places. In comparison, they seemed small, unappealing, but maybe that was because I had already made my decision.

When we headed back to the dealer, and I mentioned that I really liked the first place. I thought that would mean, all right come back again next week and we’ll draw up the contract. No, they had the paperwork ready. I knew it was the right place, so now or later it didn’t really matter, right? I didn’t want someone else to take it. We worked through the paper and they printed out the initial bill for me. It wasn’t just rent, but also a gratuity fee, insurance, neighborhood fee. In the end, it came to about 2000 dollars. I had to pay it this week. Also, I had to move into the new place within a month of signing the contract. July 19th it is.

It felt like I was doing the right thing, but I couldn’t help wondering if I had acted impulsively. Was I supposed to inform the university first? Or, was I missing some vital piece of information? It all seemed to go too smoothly.

We ate at SUSHI-RO after that, and I was still in shock.

Then I returned to Nagoya in the late afternoon, only to run into Jordan outside Nagoya Station. His plans to meet someone had fallen through and he was just on his way home. Turns out, he hadn’t eaten at the time so I took him to the nearby udon place for some venting time for the both of us.

So excited! And terrified! Am I really doing this all on my own?

JUNE 23

The last International Cafe… so sad. I will miss all the regular faces, and the bi-weekly excuse to talk about nothing in particular. Takahiro and Yuto also showed up today to hang out. Apparently, they needed a picture of me for the interview, so Yuto snapped one with his phone. I wish he had told me about it sooner because I was not at all dressed for a photo today.

JUNE 24

I did my duty and paid for the apartment today. So much money gone, and once again the bank account is starved. The JASSO money should be coming in soon though. I got to save up because it looks like we’ll be traveling next month: Disneyland, Universal Studios, who knows! It’s going to be an adventure. I’m pretty sure we are going to USJ because the new Harry Potter attraction will open around the 17th. I can’t wait to go; I’ve never been to a Universal Studio or Disneyland before.

JUNE 25

No time to work on manga today, only class and training. I’m in the last stages though; I think I can finish up the pages in a couple more days!

JUNE 26

Joy joined me to play futsal again. We always have too much fun playing against each other. Also, now that I know a few more of the members, we can actually interact with them as other matches are going on. Speaking a few sentences in English is fairly popular, but the conversation always reverts back to Japanese. Our conversations aren’t about much, but we have a great time playing futsal.

After futsal I went straight to dance practice for a few hours. Now I am home and showered. Tonight I’m going to try and get some more pages done. I have all night to do it since there’s no class tomorrow. Less than one chapter to go!

JUNE 27

It’s done! It’s done!

The pages are all complete! I finished the last details at 6pm, just in time for me to go to Open Mic Nite at the Heart n’ Soul Cafe. I even started on the cover, so all I have to do is check out the pages and prepare them for printing, finally.

Going to Open Mic became my initial celebration. Rachael and a couple other students also came to the event this time. Takahiro was there working as the MC, and he somehow managed to convince Rachael to perform next month. On one condition: that I perform with her. I enjoy karaoke, not singing on a stage. I can’t even sing that well. But, if it’s for Rachael, I’ll brave that fire. Somehow, someway, we’ll pull a performance together.

JUNE 28

Today’s culture experience was all about traditional Japanese instruments and yukata. As one of the first to arrive, I had the chance to watch our teachers for the day wander into the university all dressed up properly in yukatas. As soon as our class officially started, at 9am, we were dressed in various yukatas. They weren’t so much separated by size as they were by height, meaning there was few for me two choose from. This time, as one of the older women helped me put the yukata on and set the obi I tried to pay close attention. I would be buying my own yukata for the upcoming fireworks festivals, so I had to figure out how to wear it properly on my own.

Once everyone was dressed in their yukatas and the pictures were taken, we were split into two groups. My group was the first to experience the instruments, while the other group was taught obondori, a festival dance that takes place to celebrate obon, a festival based on the Buddhist custom of honoring one’s ancestors. In the instrument room they had set up there was flutes, shamisen, and small taiko drums. I tried the flute first, but in the allotted time I could hardly get a note through. Rachael and Joy on the other hand had experience playing wind instruments, so it came more naturally to them. Next I was sent to the small drums, which started out all right until I started going off rhythm. As for the techniques of hitting and holding the drum itself, I found that I was quite capable. Last was the shamisen, the instrument I had least faith that I could play, but it turned out to be the most fun. My fingers tend to move slowly so I thought that strumming the strings would be harder for me. To my surprise, the challenge of plucking the notes was more fun that I thought. I would have loved to have more time learning it, but our time quickly came to an end.

We switched rooms with the other group and danced for an hour in our yukatas. Dancing was nearly mindless for me, especially since the steps in and of themselves are relatively simply and they repeat for the entire song. At this point, a few people were complaining about the tightness of their yukatas as well, but I felt no such discomfort. I’m looking forward to finding my own yukata, but hopefully it’s not too expensive.

I planned a dinner get-together with the Hawaiian students and a few of the Japanese students that we have known since last year. It had been too long since we had eaten out together, outside of the curry house, so this time we went to yakiniku. Taigen recommended the place, which we found to be cheap and conveniently near the station.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 41

JUNE 9

How was today already the second to last International Cafe?? This semester is going too fast. It’s too short. I don’t know what it is. Last semester was mid-September to mid-January because we had a couple breaks. This semester it’s just a straight fifteen weeks, beginning of April to the end of July.

I hung around school after the Cafe was over, expecting that I would be going to the fitness room with Shin after his class. I didn’t know until afterward that he went earlier in the day, during 4th period. Instead of working out, we bought some dinner from MaxValu and ate at Chambre 72. Then, he wanted me to show him how to dance, so we had a brief ‘This is how you dance hip hop’ session on the roof that consisted mostly of moving with the down beat.

JUNE 10

…Manga…Dance…

JUNE 11

I have been seriously looking for apartments the past couple weeks, you know, during all my free time. The only thing I know for sure is that I want to try and live in Okazaki, and I would like a place for less than 400 a month. I didn’t have too many preferences except that it was on the second floor, or higher, had a balcony, hardwood floor, storage space, a slightly larger kitchen space than my current place, and a place to put a washing machine.

A few days ago I sent an inquiry to one of the apartment searching companies, asking if the apartments would allow a foreigner to live there. Today, I received the reply: the owner would not like to rent to a foreigner. That kind of sucked, because I really liked the place in the pictures. It had a lot of closets set in the walls, too.

But, was this my first case of prejudice?

I don’t think so. Granted, the owner knows nothing about me, I can understand why they wouldn’t want to rent out to just any foreigner. What if I couldn’t speak Japanese? Or, what if I didn’t know Japanese house customs? I’ve done my research and I’ve read about some bad cases. My contact was happy to inform me that there were two other locations in their database that would allow foreigners if I was interested. That led me to contact Akane. She lived in Okazaki and recently moved into her own apartment. We decided it was best to go directly to the apartment dealer’s, so that’s what we’ll do on Sunday.

JUNE 12

…Manga…Futsal…Dance…

Joy couldn’t come to futsal today, so I went alone. I only played with the girls today, which is fun, but they still group up too much. Once they start to spread out and get a hang of the game then I think it will be a lot more fun. I also met some more of the guys in the club, mostly third years like Shogo. They seem pretty cool. One of the guys is named Rikiya, but his nickname is Rickey, which also happens to be the same name of one of the club’s main teams: Rickey’s. I wonder if he has something to do with that.

JUNE 13

As a member of the newspaper club, Yuto asked me last week if I wouldn’t mind doing an interview with one of his juniors. He couldn’t join us for the interview, but we managed pretty well, I think. I couldn’t tell what his junior thought of my answers, and there were only a few basic questions prepared. Those basic questions were nearly over before we started, since I had sent the information to Yuto prior. I gave the interviewer more information, checking to see if there was anything else she wanted to ask about. Somehow, the topic settled on manga. I was hoping to keep that secret from the mass, if for no other reason than I didn’t want to be written off as another person who came to Japan because of manga and anime. I guess we’ll see how that turns out.

JUNE 14

…Manga… so much toning to do…

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 40

JUNE 1

Oh no! It’s already June and I’m still not done with my manga! My birthday is next month. I have no choice, but to put more time and effort into it. Sorry in advance.

The good news is that today I managed to complete the final touches on chapters 8-12. The final two chapters, 13 and 14, are also ready to be cleaned up since I scanned in all 80 pages yesterday. I’ve done so much this past month already, but there is still more to do.  Soon I will be entering the home stretch.

JUNE 2

I had to take a break from working on ‘you know what’ in order to homework for this week. There’s going to be quite a few days that I’ll probably just isolate myself and work on finishing up these last two chapters, so please bear with me. I won’t bother you with the dreary details too much.

On the other hand, I salvaged a lily that fell off my ikebana when we moved it to the second floor. The closed bud has now opened up!

JUNE 3 - JUNE 5

Three days of going to class, and then coming home to work on manga. I did go to dance practice on Tuesday and Thursday, that’s the only thing keeping me sane. I also had training on Wednesday. Honestly, I keep forgetting how long a simple task like cleaning up line art can take. Then again, there is about eighty pages…

JUNE 6

The morning and afternoon went as expected. However, this evening I made plans to meet with Kazu. She invited me to an all-girl’s dance practice in Fushimi. I’ve seen pictures of the groups online before, but this would have been my first time going.

I met Kazu and two other girls (all break dancers) at Fushimi Station and from there we walked to the studio. The small studio was actually right above a hair salon, and down the street from where Long’s apartment used to be. I thought it would be a bigger room, but once everyone showed up it quickly became very small. About thirty people showed up over the next few hours, dancing genres of all kinds: hip hop, jazz, wack, lock, and, of course, break.

Fushimi’s famous Eri also made an appearance, though I suppose she is famous throughout Japan’s break dance world by now. I watched her perform at Dance@LIVE in Tokyo. She’s someone that I can look forward to, as a future challenge, WAY in the future. I mean, I may never challenge her, but it’s good to have someone’s level to reach for. I didn’t have a chance to speak with her directly, and though I was primarily there to practice break dance I also floated around to the hip hop genre for a while. I saw familiar faces, but I didn’t know anyone outside Kazu and the two girls I arrived with. So I made a few more acquaintances.

We danced in the studio until 11pm and then everyone started on their own ways home. I walked with Kazu back to Nagoya Station. There we parted and I continued home on my own in the light cool rain. Tomorrow it’s back to the grind.

JUNE 7 - JUNE 8

The saga continues. Line art is clean, proceeding to add contrast with black ink.

We ate at one of the restaurants where a Taiwanese exchange student is working part-time. It’s famous for its udon dishes, so a couple of us tried the shrimp tempura miso udon.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 38

MAY 18

Today, I spent all day and night in Toyohashi!

My day started around lunchtime when I went do to Toyohashi to meet Junko for lunch. It’s been a couple months since I’ve seen here, so we needed to catch up. We ate at a small café-ish bar on the East side of the station. Their lunch specials were sandwiches and soups, so we both ordered the shrimp avocado sandwich. It was so nice to talk to her, even though, neither of us really had any significant updates. She’s such a nice and sweet girl, but she’s interesting— she has personality. I say this as I compare her to the new string of freshmen girls that I have become acquainted with over the past few months. Maybe those girls are too fresh to the world, so they have nothing interesting to say. The upperclassmen, Junko and the others, are different: many of them have studied abroad, so they have experienced other cultures. They just have something. It’s a shame that we haven’t had more chances to meet.

Junko and I hung out until about 2pm, wandering around the stationary departments at the Seibu near the station. I found quite a few things that I would have liked to buy, but not until I move into my own apartment. I can wait, for now.

Jorden was supposed to meet me soon after Junko went home, but he was running late due to an errand. I killed time by wandering around some more. There was a small event going on in the street for the kids, so the area was more crowded than usual. I happened to spot a beautiful red husky on the street, a nice medium-sized dog. Rarely are there any large dog breeds, but I have seen a Saint Bernard once. If I didn’t live in an apartment, I would consider getting one.

Side note: I also found the first volume of Battle Royale at the Book-Off, for only 300 yen!

Finally, as 3:30 rolled around I headed to the fountain outside the station to meet Jordan. Only he wasn’t there yet. I checked my LINE messages just in time to receive his message that said “Please read this before 3:45 so you can catch the train.” Then my Wifi battery died, so I couldn’t reply. I took the leap and hurried to board the local train line. Our timing turned out to be perfect because I ran into him just as I got off the station platform. We hung out for a couple hours waiting for the main event…

May 18th. It was the day that Dr. Hara’s new group would come to visit Toyohashi. Today was the day of the welcome dinner, and as UT Alumni and members of Toledo, we too were invited. I was excited to see old faces, but most of all I wanted to see Dr. Hara, who is basically my Japanese dad. I knew half of the group this time around; seven people who used to be part of my life, yet we had somehow managed to get on without each other. Seeing them didn’t make me homesick, nor did I want to go home to see other friends, as I thought I might feel. Life goes on, we move on to the next stage, and for me, right now, it’s Japan.

During the event I met with other ALTs from Toledo. We indulged in the free Pizza; not only was it free, but it had toppings, so it was good free pizza. I ate despite knowing that we would all go out to an izakaya afterward, but I didn’t know that until last minute anyway. But, that’s how I and the other ALTs and Dr. Hara spent our evening; socializing over various cocktails and snacks. Many of the ALTs have been in Japan for at least two years now, some upwards of six or eight. It’s great that I have these people to look to, or, if nothing else, somebody to hang out with in Toyohashi.

MAY 19 - MAY 20

Just regular classes followed with work on manga sessions. I’m trying to save money this week because we are going to a buffet for Jason’s birthday this weekend.

MAY 21

As the only current exchange student from my home University, I was expected to give a short speech to the study abroad group when they came to visit the Nagoya campus. I was told to be there at 10:20, so I had to leave my morning kanji class a little early to make it in time. I arrived at the time they told me, but the presentation on the school had already started. I barely looked at anyone as I slipped into the room and found an empty chair to sit in. There, I happened to sit next to Takahiro and Yuto, two of the students that spent the past year in Toledo. I was so excited to see them that I nearly forgot why I was there.

When it came time to give the speech, I stood up in front of the group; I had been in their shoes three years ago, I couldn’t have imagined being here now. I didn’t write the speech, but I had some particular points that I wanted to express, one of which is the same reason why I have decided to write this journal. Though this is a study abroad, it truly is an exchange program. You exchange your life for another’s. Studying is really only a small part, but it is what you make of it. That said, what you do outside the classroom will define your experience more than anything. For me, the best decision I made was to join the dance club. My life changed. I was also looking to the future, to keeping my new life, so my perspective was different than that of other students who only come for six months or a year and then return to their past lives. It costs a pretty penny to live in a country like Japan, but the money I’ve spent here has given me more than the past few years of my school life has altogether. That’s why you can’t only focus on one thing when you participate in a program like this. It’s not just the classes or the traveling; it’s the day-to-day that determines how much you will get out of this kind of experience. That’s how life goes.

(This is this year’s study abroad group, from my university.)

In short, the speech seemed to go over well with the students. I learned afterward that a few of them were hoping to participate in the same program I was in next year. Towards the end of the lunch gathering I also ran into Erika and Akane, both of whom I haven’t seen in a long time. Erika was the third student who studied at UT last year. I barely recognized her when I saw her; she had so much more confidence and spark. This is what we hope for, a positive growth in ourselves, and in most cases, we wish it would continue just a bit longer.

MAY 22

Even the mundane days are important! For example, today: I went to class, took a nap, worked on manga, and then went to dance practice for a bit. Mundane though it may be to write about, these are the decisions I made. I would be lying if I said that one of the greatest parts of this experience wasn’t living on my own, making my own decisions. The freedom is addicting, but one must not forget their responsibilities.

MAY 23

All right, here’s something a little more interesting for you. This Friday afternoon we, the exchange students, were invited to go to a presentation on kabuki, one of the traditional forms of Japanese theater. The presenter was a well-aged man who happened to be a sort of a legend in the kabuki world. While the presentation on kabuki’s history was short in and of itself, the following section on the acting and way of speaking in kabuki provided much more entertainment.

We all received the script in our information packet. One by one we went around the room reading one line or another. It wasn’t just us exchange students, there was at least a few dozen Japanese students present as well, including those from Mrs. Yamamoto’s seminar class. They were shy to start at first, but everyone read their lines. All of us exchange students panicked a little and scrambled to write down the kanji readings. Thankfully, the Chinese students were sitting nearby and helped us. We all did our best to read the lines with feeling, or at least with the same quivering intonations one would hear at kabuki. Some people within the audience were quite skilled, and they would appear out of nowhere to break the silence. As the reading circled back around the room I readied myself for my line…only it wasn’t my line. I miscounted the number of people and jumped the gun. The following line, which was my own, was much more complex in terms of wording, so I had to be guided along that one. It was still a lot of fun though, I don’t quite understand how they decided on the way to speak, but I always thought it would be fun to act. Not in kabuki, just in general.

  

MAY 24

Today we celebrated Jason’s birthday down at the Aeon Mall in Atsuta, near Kanayama. Joy, Rachael, Aurianne and I actually biked there from our apartment. It took about forty-five minutes, but we were first to arrive. We waited as Jason and the others who took the subway were still to arrive. Our reservation had been set for 11am, and Jason showed up at precisely 11:21, perfect for his twenty-first birthday.

(The Family Viking, Mame no Hakada; “Viking” means buffet.)

The buffet was called Mame no Hakada, or field of beans. Many of the dishes were made with soybeans, and there was a lot of tofu, as well as traditional Japanese cuisine. Did that make it any healthier? Not by a long shot. There were also lattes, pasta and ice cream. Ninety minutes, all-you-can-eat for approximately fifteen dollars. Then we needed to lightly digest before leaving because we were stuffed. We headed towards the game center and by chance there was a huge bucket of coins just sitting by one of the games. No one was claiming them. Were they a freebie? We put a few coins into the game of our own accord, and when those ran out still nobody had claimed the full bucket. The clerk even gave us the go ahead, so we spent the next hour or so playing a Mario quiz game until sadly the coins ran out. Joy and I had our side set-up pretty well, but once the others took the coins to other stations we were doomed to fail. It was very enjoyable though, almost to the point that I could see how people become addicted to it. I don’t even know if there was a goal to reach after completing the puzzles, but I’m sure it would be a waste of money. Fun while it lasted though.

After the game center, we all went our separate ways to get home. Joy, Rachael, Aurianne and I were once again on our bikes, heading toward Sakae. I passed the dance members at the park on my way home, but I couldn’t stay because I needed to hurry and go to training. Meanwhile, Jason’s birthday continued as a party in my room and also on the roof. When I got back home, I found that my room was still in one piece. That was mostly because many people had moved onto the roof until the landlord came up and told us we were being too loud. At that point, many people went home. One of my friends stayed around because he was a little tipsy, and he loved to talk. He eventually went home around midnight, on his bike, to Kanayama. Knowing how far away that was, I was worried whether he would make it or not, so I stayed up waiting for his message. Once he got home at around 4am then I too was able to sleep.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 37

MAY 11

Today is Mother’s Day! Of course, I had to wait until it was evening here in order to call home at a decent hour. I figured I would just catch my mom at home, but when I called the person who picked up the phone sounded too “professional”, for lack of a better word. It was as if they were a secretary. I was taken aback a bit so I ended up asking for my mom by name. That’s when we both realized who was on the other side; it was my Aunt after all. She and her siblings were all visiting my grandmother for Mother’s Day.

Eventually my mom got on the phone, so I was able to properly convey my message, if not in a slightly awkward tone. I had nothing else to say, and it seemed like they already had plans for the day. It was nice to talk to them though, even if it was just a brief ‘Hello.’ I miss playing canasta (a card game) with them, haha.

MAY 12

It turned out to be a slightly busy Monday today. First it started out with grammar class, and then Joy and I had lunch with Mrs. Yamamoto’s seminar class again. It actually wasn’t the class per say. Only four of the seminar students showed up, but that included Shogo, who is a member of the futsal club. One day Joy and I want to check them out. Hopefully they will let us play, too.

In the last minutes of lunch we hurried to finish our pair homework for conversation class, which only took a couple minutes. Then, following class we had International Cafe. Many of the new Chinese and Taiwanese students came this time, but oddly enough there were only a couple Japanese students. As a result, the groups were a bit unbalanced, but we continued to hang out afterward so that we could all go out to eat curry together. Naan curry, of course.

Two of the new exchange students, Lai and Go, had not been to the restaurant yet. Originally, I planned to take them there last Monday, but since I couldn’t make it back to Nagoya, we settled on today. I’m not sure the flavor was what they were expecting. They said it tasted it good, but that’s not the expression I read on their face. I helped them finish the leftovers, and then had a couple extra naan myself. I don’t know what beast was inside me today, but it was a hungry one.

MAY 13

I only worked on manga for a little bit today before heading back to school for dance practice. Actually, I met with Gakki in the school cafeteria to eat for a bit first. I haven’t had the chance to see her since she came back from San Francisco, so that was the purpose of our talk. She dressed up in what he determined was American style, but it looked more like American tourist style to me. The hat she bought was a floppy fisherman-like cap, which I thought might have been more suitable for a place like Australia. Then again, I haven’t been out West. Had it been a cowboy hat, I would have to say it was American.

So, anyway, we ate dinner. I ate more than I usually do before practice, so I felt a bit sluggish. Even if I hadn’t, I couldn’t focus my attention. I know how I want to dance, but I can’t figure out what to practice exactly.

MAY 14

It’s been a while now since I started training. I’ve come to really understand why the students are so shy to speak: they don’t have regular chances to practice. Because of that, I’ve started having my older students read out loud in class. At first they were really shy, but I think they are getting used to and maybe even enjoying it. Students who were quiet before are now laughing. It’s a small accomplishment, but it’s very encouraging.

MAY 15

Dance? Work on manga? No, today we have to work on our report and presentation on ikebana, traditional Japanese flower arrangement. I had a brief experience making ikebana three years ago, and then last fall we also went to see an ikebana exhibition. My presentation is focused on the rules, or rather the math, that goes into creating a balanced arrangement. Creating the presentation from start to finish took all day, but it’s ready now!

MAY 16

My presentation went very well, which is always a relief. I was one of the first to present, so my information was relatively new at that point, but since everyone had to present on ikebana, there was some crossovers. Many people talked about the different styles, or about the tools used. We still have presentations to sit through next week on the same topic… that’s the only downside to this class.

Then, after my presentation, guess what? Yes. I went home and took a nap. This is a problem, I know, but now that I think about it, it’s probably because I feel stressed. When I’m stressed with a large project for example, anything is better than consistently working on it. So, I break up the time with naps. It also helps me reset my mind for the task. This time, it was actually quite a long nap since I only had an hour to work on my manga before I met the other for Game Night at Heart n’ Soul.

Tonight’s free meal was wrapped sandwiches!! Luckily there was chicken wraps, too, so I was able to eat as we played Blocks again. It was time for revenge! In reality, I was consistently ganged up on by two or three other players, so it was a game of survival and not ending up in last place. We played that game for the whole two hours with an unrelenting fury. However, the event ended at 9pm, so we had to set our Blocks aside for now.

Since it’s been a while since I’ve gone to dance practice, I joined Ken and the others for a late practice at the Naka District Hall. Practice was going pretty well, and then this old guy shows up out of nowhere. I see him walking toward us, me in particular, so I take out my earphones. That was a mistake. I thought he had a simple question, or maybe he was a beggar and would quickly be one his way. Instead, he took it upon himself to tell me how he used to be able to do push-ups with his thumbs and all kinds of acrobatics forty years ago when he was younger. I had been practicing more handstands at the time, and he kept saying, ‘Ah, you need more muscle, more muscle here,’ and then he would grab my arm. Yes, I’m aware, thank you, good-bye, was what I was thinking, but he wasn’t taking the hints that I wanted to get back to practicing. None of the other guys interrupted him either until I sort of led him in their direction. I know he was harmless, but come on, guys, step up.

MAY 17

Training ended early today so I was able to catch the tail-end of the dinner party at Chi and Tobias’ new apartment. Most of the food was gone, but I made a meal out of the remaining potato chips and garlic butter spread. I watched the group playing a new game where each member rights down what they think is the best answer to a question written on a card, and then the card holder chooses which answer they like best. However, they only played for a little longer and then many of the members left for home. A few of us hung around and played UNO until midnight or so. Then, the party was truly over. I walked home with Marie and her boyfriend, who came to visit from Hokkaido again. We still haven’t gone to karaoke together yet, though we’ve promised to do so several times now. Maybe we can go in July when he comes to visit again.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 35

APRIL 27

After training last night I rejoined with the BBQ group for karaoke at Chikara. We stayed until morning, which isn’t as easy to do as I remember it being. Maybe that’s because I’ve been cutting back on the coffee? In any case, today I have done nothing but work on my manga and snack on candy that my mom sent me. Having this candy around might be a bad idea…

APRIL 28

Mrs. Yamamoto scheduled another meeting with her seminar for us. It’s a new class of 3rd year students, but there are a couple seniors from last semester in the class, too. Unlike last time, where we had to actually do work in groups, this meeting was primarily for international communication exchange. It also took place during lunch. At first there was no movement between the groups, so Mrs. Yamamoto guided us all through self-introductions. That got the conversations started. I also took the chance to pass out a lot of my Starbursts and Jolly Ranchers; less candy for me!

Overall, they seem like an interesting bunch. Upperclassmen are usually more settled in themselves, so you can sense their real personalities. During one of the introductions, a girl asked if anyone was afraid of dogs, and then she did an impression of a dog barking. Like I said, interesting.

APRIL 29

I came home after class so that I could buy groceries and eat lunch, but it started raining. Somehow, it turned into the perfect excuse not to go back outside, so I didn’t go to dance practice today. Instead, I worked on some manga pages and watches a movie. I should be working harder on my manga if I want to finish it soon, but I just needed to watch another movie. My list has significantly decreased, however, so I think this weekend will be a good work weekend.

APRIL 30

Ah, Wednesdays, the busiest days of the week for me.

Between first and third period classes I walked down to the station to withdraw money. For some reason, even though I was able to withdraw money from my bank in the States, I couldn’t figure out how to transfer it. So, it was back out and down Hirokoji Street to the actual bank. One of the employees there was the same woman that guided me when I forgot my secret number. I didn’t want to bother her again, so I approached the ATM on my own at first.

When it comes to money, I can’t make a mistake. I put the ATM into English mode, just to get the process over, but I still could not pull up the correct transfer option. When I looked at the screen in Japanese, I kept thinking it was the last button on the page, but I couldn’t commit. And, of course, every time you cancel a transaction on the ATM it has to announce that. Thanks for that. Consequently, I gave in and approached the employee. She showed me the correct button on the ATM (it was the last one), but I could sense either some annoyance or worry that I had pulled her from her station in front of the windows.

At last I was able to transfer my money to pay for this semester’s rent. The JASSO scholarship was just deposited into our accounts, and we received a little extension on the payment because of that. Now I have no money, just about three-hundred dollars’ worth of yen to my name. I might have to withdraw some more from abroad later.

MAY 1

It’s May! Time is flying by so quickly these past few weeks. Since I’ve been trying to finish my manga, a lot of my once free time has gone into busy work. I also have training once or twice a week, so my schedule is quite full.

On that note, today I didn’t go to dance practice either. After class I walked out to Donki with Joy and Rachael. The walk only took about thirty minutes, which isn’t as long as we thought it would take. We bought a few groceries, special ones, including foreign brands that only Donki carries. Rachael was having another dinner party in her room tonight. She was going to make all of our favorites: chicken wings, mashed potatoes, blueberry wontons…

I was really looking forward to it, but of course I had to choose between dance and dinner. This time, dinner won. I’ve missed the last few parties because of training and dance, so this was my chance. The party obviously wasn’t until dinner time, so as I waited I worked on manga. Most of the inking is done, but there are still over four chapters that I have to finish editing on the computer, before I scan in the remaining two. Thankfully, we have a four day weekend for Golden Week, a collection of National holidays within a week’s time. Time for a work marathon!

MAY 2 - MAY 4

Three days… I have done nothing for three days except sleep, eat and work on manga. The good news is, I feel like I made a dent in the pages. I can’t count how many hours I worked, but if I estimate the work rate at one page for every three hours, then maybe it will be another 130 hours… That still seems like a lot, but you have to understand that there are 200 pages in a single volume of my series. 130 or so hours, only covers the last 45 pages, and that’s the best case scenario estimate.

It’s getting harder to sit down at a desk or computer for more than a couple hours to do busy work. I started this series about eight years ago, when I was a sophomore in high school. Back then, I could spend hours every day drawing and working on my series. Recently, that same fire has been hard to come by. I still enjoy the work, don’t get me wrong, but I just can’t stand the lifestyle. When I had the chance to start my own series, it was a great outlet for me because I didn’t have the chance to do many things out in the world. My hobby soon became my job, which later meant that I had the responsibility to stay home and work, rather than waste time out and about. Back then, maybe it was a good thing for me, but now things are different. I don’t need to live my life passively through creating stories because I can live it now.

The scariest part about these past few weeks of trying to finish up this series, and also taking movie breaks, is that I could physically feel the separation from reality. I had never felt that before. Back at home in the States, if I wanted to binge on a TV series or delve into a book for a few hours, I could easily transition that between going to classes or simply getting up to go to the bathroom. There was no disconnection. On the other hand, a few days ago when I was watching a movie I heard a siren outside. I quite literally snapped back to reality; I’m in Japan now with all the freedom in the world, so why am I sitting in front of a screen absorbing myself into someone else’s life? Well, at that time, it was already well into the night, so there was nothing else to do, but not once before had I seen the line between reality and fantasy.

I still enjoy movies. I still enjoy drawing. I still plan to enjoy them. But, less is more. This book is the last of the series, and it may be my last for a while. My current path is leading me towards dance, and what looks like a teaching job. It’s not what I would have expected years ago, but it feels like it’s the answer that’s been sitting there all along. I just needed to break out of my comfort zone, shed a few layers and open myself to new possibilities. Now I’m looking forward to finishing this manga for a new reason. I’m ready for the next level, the next stage in my life.

(A sample of the Jello I made these past few days; this one was made in a baking cup with a dinosaur mold.)

I also would like to get out and grab some groceries. I didn’t have much food when I started this marathon, so for the last three days I’ve been surviving on kosher Jello that my mom sent me in the package. I need solid food.