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.
No comments:
Post a Comment