Day 265 - 22nd of May

9:30pm　特急
天気：晴れ

Carly and I are on the rapid express to Tambabashi, on our way to Kyoto station; we’re catching the night bus from there. And I thought I had a lot of luggage but no, Carly manages to outdo me; and she’s the one who’s only here for two weeks! Anyway, I am now officially finished!!! We had our graduation today… Getting back from karaoke at 5:30, I had a few hours sleep and got up at about 8:15. I quickly got ready, as we were supposed to be seated by 9:30, and ended up making it with time to spare; I had to ride my bike one last time. I was really happy to see so many people in Kimono; girls and guys alike…

9:55pm　普通

We’re on the train to Kyoto station now. We don’t have to be at the buses until 10:50, so we’re making really good time; having to drag our luggage in and out of tiny elevators isn’t much fun though. Anyway, as I was saying, it was really nice to see so many students wearing kimono; they all looked so good. In contrast, there were unfortunately quite a few guys who felt it appropriate to just come wearing jeans and a t-shirt; ah well, what can you do? After some photo-taking, I went and got seated in my assigned seat in the front row; that’s the nice thing about alphabetical order. The ceremony didn’t end up starting until after 10, with people still trickling in up to the hour. We did keep to time though, so it was fine once we got into it. After introductions, it was time for us to receive our certificates. Well, in actual fact what we got was an empty folder; the certificates were distributed to our mailboxes for us to collect after the ceremony. Seemed like a smart idea to me…

11:22pm　高速バス

Off we go on the night bus, and holy wow it’s tiny; lucky we got the back seats so we can recline all the way. Still, there’s absolutely no where for me to put my legs; maybe I can figure something out. Oh my gosh, getting here was a mission and a half. Once we got to the station, we ended up walking (staggering) to the wrong side of the station, so had to turn around and go right the way back to the other side. Finally we did make it, and soon found the check-in point. We had a bit of time before the bus arrived, so Carly went to pick up some yatsuhashi for Diego, and then I went to get some dinner; onigiri! The area was packed full of late night travellers, and more than 10 buses would be ready to board at any one time; it was really hectic. Eventually, our bus number was called (number 8) and we made the final haul, getting on just in time; we were actually the last to board. It’s not too uncomfortable I guess; Carly’s already asleep. Anyway, I still haven’t finished talking about the rest of my crazy day… After we all got our certificates (didn’t end up taking that long), we heard a long flowery speech from the Australian consulate of Osaka (same guy as last semester). Following that was the American consulate (who had a stutter), a visiting professor from an American university I forget the name of (he was very engaging), the President of the university (who had a translator), and then two international students, one of whom was Nadezhda…Well, they’ve turned all the lights off now, so I’ll have to finish this in the morning!

5:30am　高速バス

We’re just leaving our second rest stop now, and I think we’re only about half an hour away from Tokyo; I decided to get out and explore a bit and found a map that pointed this out to me. It’s bright outside, but that weather’s looking very dull, so I have no what we’re going to get up to today. Anyway yesterday…looking very Japanese in her purple kimono; yes that was the end of my sentence last night. Both of them presented in Japanese, talking about their experiences of Japan; I thought they did a great job. Then Motohashi Sensei (my reading and writing Sensei from last semester), talked to us about the results of a survey she had conducted to find the top best and worst things about Japan according to international students at KG. I can’t remember what the worst thing was (maybe narrow roads), but the best was of course the food. I have to agree with this whole-heartedly; I’m certainly going to miss Japan for its food. After all the speeches, we there was a special performance from the vocal group, and what did they sing; Angela Aki’s “Tegami”. This time I got most of it recorded; so happy to be able to hear it one more time. I’m going to miss singing it at Karaoke; it was one of my favourite songs. And with that, the ceremony was over!

From the hall, we all meandered over to the main cafeteria to enjoy the bountiful spread prepared for us; I went and picked up my certificate first. The food really was amazing, and there was so much variety; I didn’t try even half of what was on offer. Inside the cafeteria, it was extremely crowded so I didn’t stay for long, opting to go outside and sit with friends. I stayed around for a while, chatting and taking photos with people, hoping to spot Mori and Midori Sempai. Soon, Mori and Ume-chan emerged from the sprawl, and after Midori arrived they presented my with a wonderful parting gift; a large card with all my Sempais’ comments written on it; Mori had drawn a Totoro motif on it! Now we had to try and find Maarika. Carly and I had talked with her earlier on; she had in fact lost her voice. We went over to the club building to see if she was there; she wasn’t. So, Midori and Ume-chan went on a search and in the mean time, I got to play the piano for a while; that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to doing often when I get home. Eventually Maarika came over (with food of course), and she received her gift, Carly and I said our final goodbyes, and then made our way back to the Seminar House. While I’m going to miss the friends I’ve made in the club, and playing the koto, I don’t think I’m going to miss having to sit in seiza for prolonged periods of time!

The rest of the afternoon was quite stressful, with the last of my packing, cleaning, and sorting to be done. I got my straightener to Katie (she had payed me the previous day) and then okkasan invited us into the office, to show us pictures, and let us know that Otousan has Skype; I think that’s so cool. At about 3:30, I made French toast and scrambled eggs, so as to use the last of my bread; I donated my eggs, cheese and butter to Ash. Everything else went into the “not empty seasoning” box, which was already bulging with food; I hope someone can benefit from it. After eating, I quickly cleaned my kitchen box and fridge, but ended up missing Natchan’s inspection at 4; soon after, she was tied up helping people getting their parcels to the postman. Among them was Rachael, and she was sending a tonne of stuff home; I’m glad she could get it all sorted. She was still there during, and after my inspection, which didn’t end up commencing until 5:30; that gave me just enough time to prepare. That was all done in no time, and Okaasan was very impressed…

6:12am　高速バス

We’ve just arrived at Shinjuku station; our stop is next… After check-out, I could finally relax; for a little while. All the girls had gathered in the lounge, waiting to see me off; that was very special. This also meant that I could hand out all my gifts at once; bonus. Carly and I ended up sticking around until about 8, and we finally got the opportunity to play the Hetalia card game; that was quite enjoyable. Finally, and regrettably, it was time to say goodbye. I had already been subjected to a big group hug (not that I minded), and then got to hug everyone individually, even Ash who is generally the “hands-off” type. At the threshold, I was seen off by Katie, Ash, Rachel, Rachael, Sarah, Otousan and Okaasan, and Yuji and Natchan; I also got a hug from them. Kind words followed, and promises to never forget Japan and to visit were made, and then I stepped out into the night, laden with luggage; good-bye Seminar House 2… Just kidding!!! After we left, Carly decided she would go straight to the hotel, while I took my stuff to Makino station. Since I would be sending the last of my parcels, with Katie to help me carry them (bless her), after waiting around up the street for a while, I decided to return to the Seminar House. I dropped my stuff outside and burst in, running to the toilet; I thought it would be smarter to go at this point. I made it just as Katie was leaving, and got to hug Ash and Rachel one more time.

This time, it really was good-bye, and Katie and I made the trek to the 24 hour post office located just past the karaoke place; it was a tough walk. We eventually made it though, and I got to filling out the address forms. Katie soon left (after sending her postcards), and I decided to but another box, to lighten my second checked bag; I ended up getting almost 6kgs out of it. Getting all the done, I made my way over to the station and got to see Katie one last time; she was waiting for a friend in the station. Elevator up, I met Carly on the platform and then all the fun of the night ensued… We’ve arrived at Tokyo station now; at long last, I’m in Tokyo!!!

Day 167 - 13th of February

天気：晴れ
I had initially planned on going to the ice festival today, but decided to put it off to tomorrow. I felt the need to get everything done today, so I could justify going out and having fun. Also I had had a late night, and figured that it would be better to get to Kobe as early in the day as possible, so Sunday seemed much more appropriate; with the intention of having an early night tonight… So, this meant that I ended up sleeping in until 10:30. After breakfast, I did my homework, and pondered over what to make for the food party tomorrow. A most excellent idea hit me. Since I couldn’t find rolled oats to make ANZAC biscuits, why not make Milo biscuits; it’s Australian too!!! And, easily enough, I found a recipe online; all the ingredients were easily obtainable. So, feeling excited and determined, I went to Sanko and purchased butter, Milo, and sugar with the money given by the CIE, and a few other things separately. Getting back, I went straight to the kitchen, to find the opening ceremony of the 2010 winter Olympics on the TV. Katie, Ash, and Jacinthe were among the viewers, and Katie was ecstatic; her face lit up in pride.

Not overly fussed about watching the ceremony (I had missed most of it anyway), I got stuck into making my Milo biscuits. The recipe was really easy – cream butter and sugar, add an egg, the Milo, and flour, then bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. I had a lot of fun making a mess with the flour and butter, and then killing my arm stirring it all together. The end mixture was looking very promising, considering I hadn’t been exact with any of the measurements; I was playing it by ear, or should I say by consistency. Simon was in and out of the kitchen periodically, checking my progress, and at this point he commented that I didn’t look like enough; I wasn’t perturbed. I prepped both of the microwave ovens, and decided to get one batch done, just to see if it was okay, before proceeding with more. I rolled out 9 balls for this first batch, pressing them down with a fork. I remembering to wet my hands, and the fork, and that helped a lot; thanks Nanny. And into the oven they went…

I watched them, and noticed that they were expanding quite a lot and, when they were done, almost all were connected; okay so the trays were too small for 9 biscuits at a time. Touching them, I realised they were really soft, and panicked, adding more flour to the mixture. My worries were for nothing though, because as they cooled, they hardened. Simon came in at a good time, and he and I tried them; they were really good. Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and packed with Milo flavour; more like cookies really. Thoroughly satisfied, I went about baking the rest. Almost 2 hours later, and a lunch break mid-way, I had successfully baked 51 Milo biscuits! I must have done about 7 batches (8 including the first lot), with 6 biscuits in each; utilising both ovens. I’d bought a nice big Tupperware container to put them all in, and then put them in the fridge, ready for tomorrow; I was very happy. I went downstairs, and talked with my family for a few hours, trying to get my speech for Japanese started. It’s just a 2-3 minute speech about anything. I decided to talk about my 故郷 (furusato – hometown). Soon after talking with the family, Yuji came in, to get me to sign a card for Asami; I wrote in yellow. Not getting much further with my speech, I went up to make dinner, noticing Asami in the computer room, dressed in a Kimono.

I made gyudon for dinner, Jacinthe graciously letting me borrow her soy sauce; I’ve been out of it for a while now. On the TV, were the highlights from the Olympic ceremony, and I realised I’d missed out on a really amazing show; the visual effects were incredible. Katie came in, and swelled with pride once more. Instead of going back down, I ended up staying and chatting in the kitchen with Katie, Ash, and Rachel until 9, when I had to do cleaning; again, Hugo was out. Still, I am most satisfied with the cleaning group. Perhaps it’s just because we only have to clean three times a week, but it feels like much less of a chore than it did last semester. Chelsea was once again helping out; even though it’s not her week. After finishing up, I went downstairs, showered, and got everything ready for tomorrow. Jeremy and Rachael were still up for going (after I explained that it wouldn’t be happening today), and Simon will be joining us too. We’re going to leave around 7; see how well that goes…

Day 5 - 3rd of September

7:10 セミナーハウス

天気：　蒸し暑い

Today was yet another busy day. Georg and Diego decided to, once again, attempt to get to the city office. I couldn't go with them because I had to get my laptop registered at 10. So, I showed them how to read the bus timetable, and which stop they wanted, and then went on my way. It was so hot today. Humid more; the type that presses down on you. I still managed to get there in time, and get my laptop registered (which took a little bit of stuffing around). Then I took the bus back to the dorm, cause I was feeling a bit hot and bothered (and lazy). When I got back I had a little rest before Georg and Diego returned triumphant. We now had to get ready for the opening ceremony which asked for "semi formal" wear. This didn't stop both of them decking out in full suits. They left before me cause Georg had to meet with his speaking partner. In the mean time I had to iron my shirt and straighten my hair (I was able to borrow a straightener from a girl named Stephani on the forth floor).

So yeah, in my dress pants, boots, shirt, vest, and tie (which I tied myself; so proud), I made the terrible trip through the stifling heat to the uni. I was sweating a lot by the time I got there. The torture of the trip was soon forgotten, entering the cool multimedia centre. I found myself falling asleep though, before the ceremony began. I felt no need to sleep, however, when it came to the speeches. They were all very enjoyable and helpful; I took away a lot. We were addressed by the Consulate General of Australia, Osaka, Consulate General of the USA, Osaka-Kobe, and some faculty members of Kansai Gaidai. Professor Shikaura presented her speech in Japanese, and I was really happy that I could understand most of it; she was very funny. Mr. Kagiyama, was funny too. He dreams to be a comedian, bringing manzai to the English audience, and unite people with laughter. He left us with a great quote, "Live, like you'll die tomorrow, and learn, like you'll live forever."

After the ceremony it was chow time and boy did they put on a spread. I suppose it was necessary for the 442 of us students, over half of which are Americans (Australia comes second with just 26). The food was plentiful and amazing, and I ended my feasting with some green tea ice cream. Mingled with a lot of people, including Seimu and Dan, got in some photos, and met lots more people (it's getting hard to remember every one's names). We also got our course selection in the mail. I'm happy that I got Introduction to Japanese History, but as for the other course on Japanese anthropology I am not so sure. I think it might be a little too hard. So after feeling stuffed, I walked back to the dorm.

I was so happy to find that my laptop was online, so I did a lot of chatting and started this blog. At about 10:20 I went into the lounge and talked with Diego and Jessica. We ended up staying up till about 1:00am...