Just some topics to discuss....

CORN
I have never seen a country more into corn. There is corn sushi, corn pizza, corn and spaghetti sandwiches, corn in salads.... I've seen it plenty more times but I can't remember where at the moment. When you go to the grocery store, there is a full aisle of just canned corn.



MEDICINE
Recently I was diagnosed with a cold... and the rest of the school freaked out because ONE student had Swine Flu. My neighbour got it too, but the test for it is not very conclusive, and since she felt fine, I don't think she had it at all. But wow, is Japan ever terrified of it. With my cold, I wasn't permitted to attend class for three days. They MADE me stay out. I've never experienced that before... the school wanting a sick individual to stay home. At my home university, you have to be dying in order to get excused from class.

Well, I was taken to the doctor and prescribed an obscene amount of medicine. Six different kinds! This was a bit of a shock... since typically, at home, you get one or two. I didn't even finish taking all of it because I got better within a few days... but I still can't help but think it was a little over the top.


TYPHOON!!!
School was canceled today because of this occasion. It's apparently the size/intensity of Hurricane Katrina, killed someone, injured twenty-two people, and damaged over thirty homes. It blasted through about 5 or 6am last night and now its sunny and pretty outside. However... just as I suspected... the wind has picked back up with a vengeance. I think we're in for some more storm! Looks like we'll all be in the lounge playing Wii all day... either that or evacuated.

What it looked like yesterday.... including a guy wrapping up the soccer field ...netting. Typhoon preparation! Even the garbage cans were tied down.


What we have right now.... gorgeous isn't it? The only damage I've seen is some trash blown around and the soccer goal was knocked over.

Well.... wish Japan luck!

Of orientation, placement tests, bars, and clubs.

Japan is bliss. I love it. I also enjoy the different sounds that wake me up each morning. Baseball games, people walking around, soccer games right outside my balcony, political rallies, arguing crows.... and today... Taiko drumming! So far the most enjoyable.

Orientation was a few days last week. We met about three days in a row to sit in a classroom with Shibata-san, Kumagai-san, Saito-sensei, or the other teachers to go over little booklets of rules and information about everything. For some reason, those that lord over us seem to find that taking turns reading aloud will aid in the process of brain-engrainment (that's apparently not a word, but for all intents and purposes I'm going to use it. I'm good at making up words that could be words.)

Also, we all had to do Jikoushyoukai, or self-introductions, in front of the Fall Semester exchange students, along with those that had been there since April -- all of whom are fluent or near fluent. Although my introduction was perfectly fine, it was still a somewhat horrifying experience. I just said my name, the city I came from, and my hobby (Lolita fashion). I'm pretty sure it made Saito-sensei, the token "Otaku" teacher, find me fifty times more interesting. He keeps finding excuses to talk to me about it, lolllll.

This is him wearing my sunglasses. He's about 5 feet tall and 80 pounds. Adorable man.

A day after most of the orientation was finished, we had our placement tests. Before the placement tests we were sort of… welcomed to the university in a church service (since Nagoya Gakuin is a Methodist college). I have never experienced a Japanese church service, and singing What a Friend We Have in Jesus in Japanese was definitely an experience.

The Bible... in Japanese!

After it was over, we took the placement tests. This was the most evil, foul thing I have ever subjected myself to. I felt immoral, ashamed... like I was committed some sick act of dignity sacrifice.

In other words, the placement test was hard as hell. It consisted of a listening portion, where you listened to a long conversation two times, then answered ten questions about it. After that, another listening test had you listen to the same conversation and try to write down, in hiragana, what the two people were saying. This would have been easy had they not been speaking ninety miles a minute.

The test also consisted of conjugation (which I am admittedly horrible at, since I only use short form to speak to people), kanji (which is just… the absolute worst. I know a lot of kanji… but not THOSE kanji, damnit), grammar, and some other crap. The students who are fluent and near fluent land in classes 3 and 4, and those that need work get in 1, 1-2, and 2. I got into 1-2, and I'm RATHER irritated about it. The test, on top of being hard as hell, was also timed. And it was timed for students who are more on the fluent side. So, a lot of us got screwed, I think.

Anyway…. the test was hell and everyone hated it, but after it was over, we were able to start loosening up and having more fun. We were made to go on a campus tour, which actually wasn't a campus tour at all. Instead, we went to some Japanese gardens that are about a three minute walk from the school. They're beautiful! I took about 599235 pictures and a couple of videos of ravenous koi fish. I also came out of the gardens with next to 75 mosquito bites.

There have been sightings of these colorful piranhas eating pigeons.

I also got a Japanese Keitai (cell phone)! This is perhaps one of the coolest pieces of technology. I went with AU, and now wish I had gotten a Softbank instead… however, I can live. I've also been able to find a bit of American food here, such as Dr. Pepper (a delicacy) and Pringles. …. and, that's about it.

Of course it's pink and has something Hello Kitty on it.
The background is a PuriKura of myself and my friend Chelsea.

We've all been going out a lot, shopping, to a club called ID (which was the most interesting so far, especially when a few people got belligerently drunk and started making out with classmates and perfect strangers), to bars, to dinner… it's been so much fun, and its only been a little over a week. I absolutely adore it here, and I love all of the international students and the Japanese students too. I feel like the international students have already become a little family unit. XD We all just have the best time together.

I can't even begin to write about every happening of each day! There is too much!

But, one thing before I go… a very peculiar thing about this campus (and quite possibly many other locations and I just haven't noticed), is the trash sorting.


We have to sort our trash into incombustibles, combustibles, cans, bottles, and "kitchen trash." How anal can you be?! At least its not hard, I just don't like digging through my trashcan and I don't know if I want to buy five different cans.

That's all…

I wish I had a bike. I think my feet are broken.

Days 1, 2, and 3

Wow, where to begin? The flight to Japan went pretty smoothly, but that's only because I took Ambien and Benadryl and slept like the dead on my tray and on my fellow exchange student Robert's shoulder. When we finally landed in Nagoya, I had slept about 11 hours of a 13 hour flight, and the lady behind me started asking us what we were doing in Japan. I told her we were all studying abroad, and Robert commented about my ridiculous sleeping and I explained to her that I'd taken an Ambien and Benadryl. She started cracking up and said, "No wonder you were dead the whole time!" I literally only woke up to go to the bathroom twice, and I vaguely remember it. Haha.

When we landed at Centrair airport in Nagoya, it was almost 6pm in Japan. We went through customs very quickly, which was great compared to last time I went (it may have taken so long because it was Tokyo and it was Christmastime). After we found our bags and put them on carts, we proceeded to the main part of the airport and were greeted by what I assume to be the International Club from Nagoya Gakuin. My best friend Rie who came to Memphis for 2008-2009 was there to see me. I was so glad she came! After we all met up and talked to Kumagai (the coordinator), we went off to go explore. First we found a shop that sold Sanrio stuff, and then a Claire's. Claire's is like, forty thousand times cuter in Japan. After that, we went to the very tiny food court to eat. Rie and I got ramen, and it is soooo much better in Japan. I also saw the Japanese business man equivalent of Severus Snape. It made my day!!

We waited for other international students to arrive (there are like a ton of Americans here), then rode a bus to the dorms. Apparently I had signed up for Large Size Dorm in the Seminar House so my dorm is a decent size, but it makes me, a 5 foot tall girl, feel unusually tall. My dorm has a bed with drawers underneath, a closet I'll share with my roommate, a desk, a bookshelf, a large balcony, kitchen with a sink, induction heater (whatever that is), refrigerator, a shoe closet, sink with mirror, bathroom, and shower closet that has a bucket bathtub that comes to about my hip. There is also a place where if you wanted to pay for one, you could have a washing machine.




After we got settled in, I changed clothes and the RAs took us to a nearby 7/11 to get food. I got onigiri, which I looooooooooove. *___* It was delicious. When we got back, I unpacked and organized/decorated my room until past midnight, then decided to wash airport/airplane germs off in the shower. I turned it on and no hot water came out!! I had it up to the highest setting, and it never got any hotter, so I just took a cold shower. I also didn't have a towel then so I basically had to use a tiny rag to dry off. The first night the internet was also a piece of crap as well, so as I'm trying to let my parents know I'm alright, it keeps dying. I had to sit in the apparently "good zone" for internet, which is on the floor of my kitchen, and it still dropped it. Then my computer died, and I hadn't gotten a plug adapter yet. Thankfully, I got one yesterday and the internet been going strong for two days on my desk by the balcony! I was even able to Skype with my mom and dad this morning.

I got about two hours of sleep the first night. I went to bed about three in the morning after staying up and chatting with my other fellow exchange, Brittany. I woke up again about 4 am, went and sat on my balcony, ate an onigiri around 5 am, practiced kanji, then went back to sleep about 7:10am. I then woke up again at about 8:40am and decided sleeping was a fruitless effort and just got ready. Around 10 am, Robert and other other fellow exchange Shaun came to my dorm to get me so we could go to the electronic store, Kojima Denki. I got my adapter there, along with some batteries for my electronic dictionary. When we were leaving the store, these women with fliers grabbed us and made us test out massage chairs. They were hilarious! After we extracted ourselves from their grips, we went to eat at Cafe Gusto. I got udon and Calpico soda, Brittany got hamburg steak with eggs, and Robert got CORN PIZZA.

After eating, we went back to the dorms for a bit, then met up about 1pm to go to a 100 Yen store and this place called Don Quixote. As we were walking the eighty-seven miles there, it began to DOWNPOUR. I shared an umbrella with one of the RA's, a guy named Keita who is significantly taller than me, and we got soaked to the bone. It really sucked! We finally got to Don Quixote, and I swear I think that store has everything except for appliances. As I went up the elevator, a Japanese man in front of me stared blatantly at me. It was so weird!! Anyway, I got a lot of stuff for myself like a towel and a small mirror, and some stuff my dorm such as Doraemon toilet paper, hand soap, and trash bags.

After I paid for my stuff, I walked right out and into the 100 Yen shop. There I bought a hand towel of Marie from The Aristocats (which is oddly popular), and chopsticks. We then all went back to the campus, and unfortunately it was still raining furiously. The trek back seemed even longer now that I had two bags full of crap, but somehow we made it. I'm certainly my knees were in splinters by then. After changing and attempted to make my hair look less ridiculous, they all dragged us out again to go to dinner. We went to a rotating sushi bar, but since there is so many of us we had to go hang out in an arcade first.

The arcade had UFO Catchers, arcade games (one was this game where several people get in pods and battle each other ...somehow. I should try it!), and PuriKura (picture booths). I got eyeballed for the 67th time since I've been here by a salary man, then finally we went to go eat. By this time, it was around 7 or 8 at night, and I was so deliriously tired that everything became absurdly hilarious. Robert, who speaks in such a tone that everything he says cracks me up, kept saying the most ordinary things and I laughed so hard I was certain my ribs had been obliterated.

Finally, we got home, and I passed out asleep around 9pm. I slept until about 7am, then woke up and talked to my parents on Skype. It was great, since I hadn't really been able to talk to them since I arrived. After Skyping, Shaun came by to tell me we were all going for okonomiyaki (a Japanese dish I don't particularly care for), then going to Sakae to go shopping.

The okonomiyaki place was too packed, so we went to a Misokatsu place and got that. The chicken was horribly fatty and I don't think I'll be eating there again, even if Nagoya is famous for it. Brittany told me to close my eyes and just pretend I was eating something else, but that's impossible!! I hate fat on any kind of meat, it makes me gag. XD

Once we were done eating, we headed to Oasis 21, which is a very interesting mall! it was somewhat outdoor, yet underground, and had a roof over it that was a fountain. There was a cute shop there (I forget the name), along with a place that sold Studio Ghibli stuff.



After we left there, we went to a bookstore called Maruzen. I was able to by the Gothic & Lolita Bible volume 34 there for so much cheaper than I get it in America. Then, Ryou, Brittany's roommate, took us to Nova!! That is where a lot of Lolita shops are located. I bought some things at Angelic Pretty (aggh, but I decided I'm going to sell two of the dresses I already have, simply cause I never wear them and am not that fond of them), then a small crown necklace at Sexy Dynamite London (I have been looking all over for one!!), and finally, a small black parasol from some shop in the train station.

We walked home, and by this time, I'm pretty sure my knees and ankles have dissolved into nothing. Our final trip of the day was to 7/11 again to get dinner (I went in my new Angelic Pretty outfit just for lulz), and now I'm relaxing in my dorm room with throbbing legs. I need an Epsom salt bath or something.

Tomorrow is orientation I think.... gross.

Tomorrow is THE DAY!

Well, it's finally here! ... in a few minutes, it will be midnight, and therefore -- the tenth of September! I will be leaving Memphis to fly to Detroit at about 9:45am, and will leave for Japan 3:45pm! I'll arrive in Nagoya about 5:55pm and will have to hang around the airport until the rest of the international students arrive. We all have to take the same bus!

Packing was officially the most obnoxious thing I've ever had to do. At least this year. (Last year it was standing in line for about 6 hours in uncomfortable shoes at a convention) I have packed pants, skirts, shirts, dresses, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, toiletries, sheets, a blanket, makeup, other things for my dorm room.... and my parents STILL have to ship me most of my Lolita clothes and shoes, other winter shoes, and winter clothes when it gets cold enough. For any family members interested, yes, I am taking Fitta.

In the past week, I have had a surprise going away party from my parents, and gotten together with coworkers from Barnes&Noble at Buffalo Wild Wings. The surprise party from my parents was really special to me. I was so happy! However, after it was over and everyone was gone, I started crying my eyes out. I'm going to miss my parents more than anyone else, and I'm just paranoid something is going to happen to someone I care about while I'm gone! Arrrgh! I hope that feeling subsides soon.

Anyway, I'll probably update again soon. Until then, uhh... sweet dreams?

Obligatory Introduction

You are reading this blog because you may or may not be interested in hearing about my 11 month long study abroad stay in Nagoya, Japan. It is my senior year of college and I have been waiting since middle school to do this, so naturally, I'm excited. However, I haven't gotten too excited yet since I've been working my ass off all summer trying to raise spending money for the damn thing. I'm certain after I've cried myself into hiccups at saying goodbye to my parents, taken a Valium, then slept through the 13 hour plane ride, I'll start to get excited. Possibly gush-blood-from-each-orifice excited.

That sort of excitement is reserved for Harry Potter book and movie releases, getting pieces of Lolita, and that time I thought I was going to get to see Moi dix Mois live. You know, run around the house screaming sort of beside-yourselfness that makes everyone around you say, "Calm your ass down." (It's simply because they understand nothing.)

So I have a little less than thirty days until I board the stupid Northwest Airlines flight (I hate that damn company). I felt like starting this ahead of time though, because I enjoy writing about the build-up, but not everyone wants to read this stuff on my LiveJournal. There are people who will get angry or jealous, which I can completely understand. It happened to me, and I know that a lot of people I talk to want to live there. I don't hold that against anyone. I hope that anyone who wants to live there or visit there will get a chance someday soon.

There are also people who will melt into the emo-state of, "You're going to forget about me when you get theeeere!" Please. Do you honestly think I'm that big of a bitch? I'm way too addicted to the internet to just leave it. That's absurd. The people who are saying these things are seriously starting to piss me off. Shut the hell up and get over it. I'm going, you can visit me if you freaking want to, but stop trying to guilt trip me because you think I'll ~forget~ about my entire non-Japan life. First and foremost, I am an AMERICAN. I won't be able to just cannon-ball into Japanese culture and be totally chill with it. I can't just sever myself from my Englishness completely. The only thing I'll have tying me to it will be, of course, the fabulous internet, as it is a way to communicate with family, friends, and a way to get on the websites I'm addicted to.

That's all I have to say for now. Thirtyish days until the flight, sixish days until I quit both jobs (those being Barnes&NobodyLikesYou and Sekisui), and sevenish days until I fly to Portland, Oregon to see my brother&fam.

The most prominent thing on my mind about the entire ordeal is this: How in the hell am I supposed to choose which shoes go with me?