Out and About...

... in Yotsuya.

We had some free time today after our Japanese placement tests, which were awful by the way, and before the welcome party for all international/exchange students. We met up with Teresa who is living at a homestay instead of DK House and got lunch at one of the cafeterias on campus. We were able to eat on this wonderful roof terrace with a view of the surrounding area.The cafeteria is pretty interesting; like the restaurant we went to yesterday you order your meal via a computerized system. There are a lot of different options and you select which one you want. The apparatus, if you will, then spits out this coupon and you take it to the ordering station. It's pretty neat. I was ridiculously hungry by this time so I ordered katsudon from the machine and yakitori from the a la cart.

After lunch we decided to explore the area around Sophia. Teresa had already done this when she first arrived so she was our tour guide. Our ultimate destination was a garden near the end of the street but we took a lot of stops along the way. Our first detour was this temple off the main road.Apparently, there are a bunch of them off of main streets like this. There was a bit of a barricade blocking the entrance but we stepped past it. I'm not sure if we were supposed to though because not too long after a Japanese man came up to the same barricade, read the sign there (note it there in the bottom of the picture) and turned around. Hmm.

Our second stop was an Office Depot. We were pretty surprised to see it but Greg and Natalie thought it was great luck that we stumbled upon it. They've been searching for mechanical pencils and so far have only found wooden ones. They did find some at the home depot but none in bulk packs like in the U.S.

After some time moseying down the street in the afternoon sunshine we reached Chidoriga-fuchi Park/千鳥ケ淵. The park was full of four different kinds of cherry blossoms. It seemed like a pretty popular place. Many Japanese were enjoying the weather, the cherry blossoms and having hanami. Hanami／はなみ is a term that describes cherry blossom viewing and the partaking of food and sake/さけ, which you could smell a little bit in the air.

There were also a couple of ladies dressed in kimonos. We haven't seen too many of them so far but they looked very pretty, especially the details in the back.


Here are a few more pictures from the trip to Chidoriga-fuchi Park. The tree that looks like a weeping willow was my ultimate favorite, mostly because I have a soft spot for willows. If you want to see even more pics of the park, check out Natalie's blog.

After the trip to the park we headed back to Sophia and the welcome party, which was great. We got to meet more exchange students and Japanese Sophia students. To Teresa's chagrin, most of the students we've met so far have been girls. Akiko, my monitor says it's because there's a bit of a gender division in majors. A lot girls major in English, while the boys tend to major in math and science. It's a gender divide that's not wholly uncommon in the states either it just seems a little more apparent at Sophia.

All in all a terrific day and tomorrow should be even better.

It's a draw...

So I didn't kill the jumping spider. In fact, he's still alive in my room. I saw him right before I went to bed last night and we had another scuffle. Another draw, well, a win for him since he's still alive, which makes this Jeannette: 0 and jumping spider aka Jumpy: 2. As I tossed and turned this morning due to some necessary napping earlier in the evening, I either had a dream or a fatigue-induced hallucination that the spider was climbing up my wall at some point. I gamely told him, "Fine, you win. I suppose we'll just have to live in peaceful cohabitation."

Ha, peaceful cohabitation my ass. As soon as he pops back out again, I'm killing him.

Anyways.
Yesterday I went to an exchange student orientation at Sophia／上智大学 but before we even boarded the train to get there I had a minor crisis. I forgot my wallet at the DK House. While freaking out and thinking I lost my entrance key card, I took my wallet out of my purse to look for it and promptly forgot about it. I couldn't exactly go back to get it but luckily, Greg was kind enough to let me borrow some dough for the day.

The train ride to Sophia／上智大学 lasted about 45 minutes but it seemed much shorter than that as we had to make a lot of transfers. Anyway, that train ride could be an hour and a half and it wouldn't really bother me. This past summer I had an internship in D.C. and I had to commute 2 and a half hours each way everyday. So this commute is much shorter in comparison.

We passed through Shinjuku on our way to Sophia／上智大学 which is located in Yotsuya. I'm very excited to see Shinjuku as it's fairly well-known for it's hustle and bustle. And we found this really great place to eat as we walked towards Shinjuku; and when I say great I mean it met the criteria of cheap, tasty and conveniently located. It's only a block or two away from Sophia.

Spider Update: I brushed back the curtain to see what the day was like and a spider dropped down on its thread. I don't know if it's Jumpy or a new resident but I'm not happy about this. What the heck? What is it about this room that is so inviting to spiders? Is it too warm? I'm going to make this room less hospitable. This is war.
After finding the building where our orientation would be held, we toured Sophia. Note this spiral staircase in the picture. I think we're going to figure out how to get up there. Maybe. Possibly.


And after a long day at Sophia and a boring orientation session, we all got to meet our Japanese monitors. They're basically buddies for us exchange kids. My monitor is a second-year English Lit. student named Akiko. She's super nice and super chic, but then again, all of the Japanese girls here are super chic, so that's a given. I'm pretty impressed by it, I have to say. I wonder how long it takes them to get ready in the morning? I'll have to ask them.

Then it was back to the DK House where instead of studying for my placement test today, I promptly fell asleep due to jet lag. Bleh. If this post seems hurried or not as witty as the last posts, it's because I'm still super tired and this spider business is killing me.

Spider Update: I am victorious.

I'm here! I'm safe and I'm finally showered...

... except that the shower is on the guys floor and I had to pass some guy brushing his teeth when I came out of it in my towel. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

What a long, long, long trip that was. As someone who doesn't like to fly, I had a really hard time motivating myself to get on that plane. Luckily, my dad was with me to and gave me a healthy shove in the right direction. Thankfully, the flight to Chicago went smoothly and then I had a 5-hour layover in O'Hare. It wasn't so bad at first because I had a book with me, but I finished that within a half hour of being there. That's the problem with good books, they never last long enough. So after that, I tried to study but I'm sure everyone can guess how well that went.

I took the time to call my mom, who was really worried about me, and a couple of friends, one of whom I woke up (oops :-/). My mom's main concern was a) that I wouldn't be safe, not out of any fault of my own mind you, or so I'd like to think, and b) that the person I was sitting next to would manhandle me on the plane. On the flight to Chicago, I sat by a guy and my mom wasn't pleased about the fact. Our conversation on this topic went something like this:

Mom: I just don't want anyone to...
Me: Manhandle me on the plane.
Mom: Yes.
Me: I think you underestimate me; I have a really good elbow jab.
Luckily for me, and my mom's blood pressure, my flight to Narita wasn't full. The guy I was supposed to sit next to moved behind me and had two seats to myself and I had the same luxury. Not that it made sleeping on the plane any more comfortable, but it could have been worse.

By the time we arrived at Narita, it was a little bit after 4. I was told that a rep from Sophia University was supposed to meet me before 5. But it wasn't until 5:30 that I was able to pass the foreign passport check-in station and customs. I was sure that I'd missed my person but she was still there after I left customs. Keito, or Kate, is a second-year student at Sophia studying English Lit. and she's learning German too. Clearly, she's really good at languages. She and her friend Hanoko, helped me and Hanoko's charge Mike (I think that's his name...) get to the DK House where I'm staying. We took the Japan Railway train to get here and it was quite the adventure, what with all my luggage (one suitcase, carry-on and my "purse") and the commuter traffic. But we finally got here. The DK House is an international guesthouse that partners with Sophia. I have to be honest, because they weren't, and the place looks nothing like it did in the pictures. It almost makes me wish I was in a homestay or had an apartment mate. It's not that it's not nice, but I lived in a really great international residency at U.Va. and this place pales in comparison.

Unlike my room at the IRC at U.Va., this one is a single and I have a great view of some cherry blossoms from my balcony. It's a pretty sweet view. There are a couple of issues I have with the DK House and my room. First, I can't reach the outlet closest to my desk, which means that I can't plug in the power cord for my computer. I have to plug it in on the other side of the room and it doesn't even reach. So my comps running on its battery now but I charge it whenever I'm not on it. Second, there's no soap in the bathroom. Are people just not washing their hands?! And now every time I go I have to bring my soap with me. No fun. Third, this shower situation is absurd. They should have just divided the halls down the middle and not by floor level because now I have to walk past a bunch of guys in my towel. C'mon, a girl needs a little privacy.

So that's everything so far. I don't think I missed any exciting stories. Most everything is still a blur anyways. I'm still really tired and I got up at 5:20 this morning as my body clock was off. I'm going to try to nap now before I have to leave for my Orientation and what not. The only problem with that is that I saw a spider on my wall not too long ago. We had a small showdown where he jumped, several times, out of my reach. I'm not sure whether I'm the victor or if it was a draw so I have a few reservations about sleeping on that bed. Oh well, they do say the average human ingests around 8 spiders in their lifetime. I guess this spider, if he's still alive and I'm hoping no, might get added to my quota.

Waiting may be boring...

...but taking a break to visit your friends is definitely not.

Happy Easter Monday to those of you who celebrate it. In one week I'll depart the U.S. but right now I find myself not at home but in Charlottesville, visiting friends, finding housing for next year and interviewing for an internship. Being back has been really great and I don't feel, bad I guess is the right word, or regretful that I'm not here with my friends. I definitely don't feel any regret about not having classes at this time, but that pesky coursework will come soon enough. At the end of last semester, I really thought I wouldn't be able to bear this interminable wait before my time abroad began. This faux "summer" break in the middle of winter has really been relaxing and now I'm ready for the term to begin.

Just a quick work about getting things together for next year. For those studying abroad for a year or a semester, one concern is getting everything in order for your return to your host institution, i.e. housing and course enrollment. Juggling both studying abroad and planning for your return may seem difficult, but here are a few tricks to keep everything under control.

1. Know your deadlines: If there are papers or other technicalities that need your approval or are time sensitive, the worst that can happen is to forget about them because of a time change or simply by living life. Always keep a tally of your deadlines and know which ones are coming up in the immediate future.

2. Don't wait to the last minute: It almost goes without saying, but as a procrastinator who always manages to squeak by at the last second (and who just reformulated a resume last night for an interview this morning), I know it needs to be stated. If you have a question about anything about your return and your courses at your home institution, do not hesitate to ask. There may be deadlines you're unaware of that you might miss. And (for the most part) university administrators really want to help you, that's what they're here for.

3. Try not to stress: This might completely discredit the previous two points, but if you miss a deadline or run a little late, it's not the end of the world. Try not to stress about it too much. The great thing about college is a good deal of responsibility is coupled with a good number of people who want to help you when that responsibility becomes too great.

Counting down is tedious...

...And it's making me anxious. My nerves are completely out of control as the 31st draws nearer. I admit, I haven't posted as much as I wanted to. It's kind of complicated. I've really wanted to travel abroad, especially for an extended period of time, but I've gotten so used to being at home and all of the unknowns are making me very nervous, wishing for some sort of temporal freeze. I guess that's the catch-22 about the unknown: it's both exciting and terrifying. Change and the promised adventure of making my way through a foreign country are drawing me into their spheres but repelling me at the same time.

It's left me in a funny place, a place where I definitely have not studied as much as I should have (cracking a textbook when's one's posted at the home front takes an infinite amount of strength); I still don't have everything I need; I'm a little bit unsure of how to get from the airport to my lodging, make that a lot unsure, and with all of my baggage.

But even as I'm worrying about all of these things, I know that they'll just sort themselves out. Somehow I will get to my housing, with all of my luggage and some excellent experiences on the way.

Even though I haven't figured out the ins and outs of my initial time there, I've already started some research on what I want to do with my four months in Japan. I'm really interested in the art and music scene in Tokyo and via a google search I stumbled upon these two great blogs: Tokyo Art Beat, PingMag and Le Baron. The first two have already given me some ideas of how to explore the city especially this article. I also want to check out the contemporary art fair in Tokyo, April 3-6.

I'm not an art major but I think art says a lot about a country's culture, values and what its people are thinking about today. Plus it might be a good way to meet other like-minded Japanese and international students and people. I may not have all of the important bits sorted out yet but I definitely think I'm getting there.

Two weeks from... yesterday...

Yup, two weeks from yesterday (and 13 days from today to make things easier) I'm leaving for Japan. Thankfully, I got my suitcase, my purse and the rest of my essentials, i.e. toiletries, socks and some more jeans. I'm trying to take most things with me instead of buying them abroad becuase a) I'm not sure how much they'll cost there and b) I'm not sure if they'll have what i need especially hair product. (I have very, very, very curly hair and it needs special attention.)

As far as the important stuff is concerned (visa, passport, money), it's all been taken care of.

T-18 Days

The date draws nearer and in about 18 days I will head to the airport with all of my luggage (i.e. one large suitcase, a carry-on and a purse/computer). Except that I don't have a large suitcase. And I'm not sure what I'm going to pack yet. And I don't have a purse large enough to carry my computer. Or a computer case. Or an adaptor. And do I even need a converter!?

Clearly, I still have to figure some things out.

All in good time I suppose. The suitcase issue must be dealt with before the end of this week, though. I can't take another nightmare about packing my things blindly and then turning around and realizing they're all just sitting on the floor because I have no suitcase. So that's the first thing on my list. Second: At some point I should start drafting a temporary list of things that I plan on taking with me. What can I get in Tokyo? (With all of this rampant globalization, the better question might be what can't I get?) What should I take with me and what might I have to learn to live without? Third on my list: I need to get a purse and a computer case. The latter of the two can be solved easily so I'll probably take care of that this weekend, too. The former, however, is proving to be more difficult. I want a purse, a bag really, large enough to carry my textbooks and computer in when classes begin. I'm not a backpack person, so this is really important. I need a bag that combines both form and function in an aesthetically pleasing way. Oh yeah, and one that doesn't split my wallet wide open.

Speaking of money (I know, an uncomfortable subject), let's talk about the USD. Bush is adamant that we're not in a recession, but I beg to differ. I have a few friends abroad in Europe and they started feeling the pinch in the last months of 2007. Admittedly, the situation is worse for them but this past summer the dollar to yen ratio was 1 to 118 or somewhere abouts. When I last checked it was 1 to 1. Ouch. At least I'm not going to London.

We'll have to wait to see how this affects my experience in Tokyo. But for now it's back to working, studying and searching for that elusive bag. Wish me luck.