Day 256 - 13th of May

11:17pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Well, today I feel much better about everything; for some reason, getting my oral over and done with was such a relief. I feel like I’ve jumped over the halfway point, and now I only have another half to go; it’s wonderful. Today’s weather mirrored my happy, warm feelings and I don’t even care that I didn’t get my report done; again… After getting ready, I basically spent the rest of the morning preparing for my oral exam. I typed out everything I wanted to say, and even got a little bit of a chance to memorise it; a very little chance. Getting to uni, I went straight to the third floor, and sat outside Saigo Sensei’s office, talking with Kim; we were talking about the same topic. She went in before me, and soon after it was my turn. After an initial mind blank, I stumbled my way through, but actually didn’t do that badly. I quite enjoyed talking to Sensei about it and I wish I could have had more time to say what I wanted to say. Throughout, he would ask questions or make comments, which steered me way off what I was intending to say, but it did make it feel more natural. He was really surprised when he found out I was only 19 actually; it was quite funny. Anyway, as soon as that was done, I leapt for joy on the inside, and then went with Kim and Nathan for lunch.

We all ate katsudon in the third cafeteria, and talked about what we would be doing when we got back home; the end is so close. Around 12:30, we went back to the CIE lounge, and I found Julie to study Religion with before the quiz. In fact, it turned out to be relatively easy, and I got it done within 15 minutes; now all I have to do is finished that report. Afterwards, I sat in the lounge for a while longer, and then made my way over to Don kihote to buy Tim Tam’s for tomorrow’s party. I also bought a packet for Rose since it was her birthday yesterday, and I’d be going to her party tonight. I met Carly on the way back to the seminar house, and after dropping our stuff off, we went to Sanko; I had to buy the ingredients for my biscuits. As soon as I got back, I got stuck into it and almost 2 hours later, I had baked 31. Already that number has decreased to 27. It was almost 5 when I was done, so I came downstairs and got started on my JASSO scholarship report. I have to talk about what I have achieved academically, and how the uni has broadened my knowledge of Japan; fun, fun, fun…

I didn’t get very far with that, as we were going out for dinner tonight; New Dehli, since Carly’s never been. We left at 5:30 and soon got there; Carly rode on the back of my bike. Finding no one there, we decided to go into uni, and soon found Sarah, Katie and Rachael in the lounge. They were waiting for Rachel to turn up. In the end she didn’t, so it was just the five of us. Dinner was absolutely wonderful as always, although sadly the service was a little soon; understandable since it was absolutely packed. After waiting 30 minutes for our lasse (only Carly got hers), we decided to just leave; that was a bit of a shame. I was already an hour late for the party, so I rushed to Seminar House 1, and got inside just in time to find Mori and Midori leaving; they had already made cake. It was sad to see them go, but I was soon enjoying the fruit (or cake), or fruit cake actually of their labours; it was amazing. Rose was stoked when I gave her the Tim Tams; she immediately ripped the packet open and distributed them. There 10 of us in the room, which was basically exactly the same as our rooms here, with little differences here and there. Us guests, stuck around until almost 10, watching funny movies on YouTube, and taking photos; it was great fun. Finally it was time to say good night, and as soon as I got back to Sem 2, I was roped into watching a drama with Julie, Chelsea, Rachel and Ash; it was actually really intense. It was only the 5^th episode, but already the plot is so complicated. Chelsea caught me up pretty well, but I kinda want to see the earlier episodes. Well, I’m going to get some sleep now…

Day 153 - 30th of January

10:14pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I’m just watching (500) Days of Summer with Hugo. Jamie’s just got back, and he’s finishing up packing for his move into home stay tomorrow. Lol, this movie’s pretty cool; a little quirky. It’s a light little boy meets girl comedy, and it jumps from day to day (backwards and forwards) across a 500 day period; keeps it interesting. Anyway, today was good… I didn’t do much this morning, but after lunch at 2, we all got ready to go to karaoke. It ended up being Rachael, Simon, Ash, Katie, Jacinthe, Jo and I; a great group. When we got to karaoke, it was packed, so we had to wait almost an hour to get into a room. In the mean time, we got ice cream, and had a purikura session. It was a little after 4 when we finally got in, so we were only in the there for 3 hours; at 7 free time starts, which has to be paid for separately. It was still great though, and so cheap; 100 yen an hour. Everyone had a really great time, and Rachel and Simon really got into it for their first time.

When we got out at 7, we were pretty hungry, and Jo suggested we go out for dinner. Katie and Ash, decided to go to a convenience store, and Jacinthe had to go into Hirakata to teach, so it was Jo, Simon, Rachel, and I. We ended up going to an okonomiyaki place just around the corner from the seminar house. Rachel and Simon had never tried it before, and they loved it; I’m still feeling very nice and full from it. When we got back, Simon went into the computer room to ask Yuji to translate his fortune from Kiyomizu-dera. Otousan was in there, and was looking at names of people, and when he saw Rachael he chose to call her by her last name, Green. The thing is, there are two Rachel’s here; the one I’ve just met from America, and the one from my Japanese class last semester. And they even share the same middle name; Sarah. So, in order to minimise confusion, Otousan has a different name for each of us; that’s why I’m Jo, and Jo’s Joanna. I don’t think she minds though. After that we all parted ways. The movie’s finished now. It was… interesting, I’ll give it that. I won’t be doing much tomorrow except seminar house meeting at 12, and checking in; yay we get all our kitchen stuff back. Time for bed…

Day 145 - 22nd of January

10:36pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Finally settled, back in the old futon’s we had during just semester, two empty beside me, and Jo’s two very pink suitcases in the desk area; the room feels nice and full. Today was a long day… Although I had a terrible night’s sleep, I still managed to get up at quarter to 8. I decided to quickly go have some breakfast before vacuuming. Ryan roused soon after I returned; I was moving my futon out. Once the floor was cleared, we vacuumed, and I also dusted the shoji screens and air conditioner. We ended up getting it done by 8:30; way ahead of schedule. So, we just talked for a while… Ryan explained that he would be going back into home stay if it weren’t for that the home stay he was with last semester won’t be looking after anyone this semester, since she’ll be travelling. He said he didn’t want to risk another; he had heard stories of not very good ones, as had I. He also commented that this was probably the longest conversation he’d had in English since he got here; crazy. He is in level 7 Japanese (the highest level) as I was soon to find out, so I guess it’s expected.

A bit after 9, Okaasan arrived. She checked my side of the room first, then went up and checked my kitchen box and the fridge, and found everything to be immaculate. She was very pleased; I was just relieved. Then onto Ryan, and there was no problem there, so he was soon on his way to seminar house four; I might see him around on campus. So, with only a door key, I went and had a shower. As I was finishing the light in the shower went out. I immediately thought black out but no; the bulb had just died. I went and explained this to Otousan, and he got me to fetch the master keys from Okaasan upstairs, before going into the store room, and pulling out a new bulb. Surprisingly, he asked me to go and change it; of course I humbly obliged. Socks off, and onto the wet shower, and it was done in a jiffy. Made me feel like I was at home; changing light bulbs because I’m so tall. After that, I went up and got Jo’s luggage from upstairs and dragged it into my room. Satisfied with everything here, I went into university.

Jacinthe caught up with me on the way there, and we talked the rest of the way. She went into the CIE, and I went to post Tamblyn’s shoes. It turned out to be quite cheap; cheaper than I’d expected at least. I went back into uni, and ate lunch at the cafeteria with Jacinthe. Of course, I had katsudon; I missed it a lot. After that, we went back to CIE, and I checked my mail; received a postcard and card from Nanny and Poppy. Then I went the computer lab to up for laptop registration for this semester. It was really quiet, and she actually asked if I had my laptop with me then, but I didn’t. I instead selected the 2:40 time slot today. Then, I went and requested an unofficial transcript. Jacinthe told me you could do it, and I did want to know my grades. She had also requested one a week ago, and when I asked the guy how long it would take to get to me (they put it in your mailbox), and he said by Monday. Jacinthe piped up that she hadn’t received hers yet, and I think this got them motivated.

I then left for home, and went up to let Ash and Katie know they could register their laptops today. Okaasan soon came in for their inspection, and she was surprised to see me. I went to leave, but she insisted I stay (it was quite funny actually), so I plopped myself down on a futon, and looked at the calendar of Canada Katie gave me; beautiful photos. They pulled off their inspection no sweat, and then we left for the uni once more; for me at least. I got in and got mine done straight away, hassle free; I mean we’ve already done it once, so they know what we have and all. I looked in my mailbox again, and found an envelope containing the transcript; it really did get them motivated. I was happy with my results; it was exactly what I had expected I’d receive. I sat down with Ash and Katie in the lounge as they waited for their times, and Jacinthe soon joined us; she also got her transcript. Lol, two guys and a girl across from as were sleeping on the lounges; one of the guys was snoring quite loudly.

After registrations were complete, we decided to go to Makkas; a late lunch for Ash and Katie, and a snack for me. I ended up getting a cheese burger and strawberry milkshake, and Ash got a Texas Burger at my recommendation; she really liked it. Jancithe came over and noticed that we all had food, and felt left out, so she went and got something; a Texas Burger also. Then Katie felt left out for being the only one to have not tried it. We stayed there and chatted for a few hours; it was great. It wasn’t until 6:30 that we finally got back home. I went up and bothered Ash and Katie, and was treated to photos of the areas in which they live. Ash lives in Oxford, which is just amazing in terms of architecture, and Katie lives in Calgary and has a view of the Rocky Mountains out her back door, and the landscapes is simply breathtaking. It made me feel very reminiscent, and I was amazed at how fast time had gone past, looking at all the old photos.

I left their room at 9:30 feeling hungry; they felt content with Makkas and snacks. I went done to my room and found a mini cup noodle, and a tuna to go, so I went up and ate them; happy tummy now. Wow, the kitchen looks so empty without all the pots and pans. All we have now is the microwaves and kettles. After that, I went and had a shower, and then finally got into bed. I’m really glad I got so a lot done today. Still have to get in forms and pay accommodation next week, but that should be easy. I invited Jacinthe to come and see Avatar with me tomorrow since Ash and Katie don’t really seem fussed, so hopefully we can make that happen; I’ll email her tonight. I thinking I might get a knife and spoon, and a few other utensils from the shops tomorrow, and some other groceries. Also found out the names of my new roommates; Hugo Philippe Alexandre Bertrand from Spain, and Jamie Lee Skyes from England. Hugo will be permanent, and Jamie will be going into other accommodation. I also found out that Simon (a guy from USC I got in contact with over facebook) with be right across from me. Can’t wait to meet all the new people…

Day 8 - 6th of September

3:55pm　　セミナーハウス
天気：　蒸し暑い
It's been a pretty lazy day today. We are now officially checked in to our rooms. New set of keys; for the side gate (YAY for no curfew), our room, and our kitchen cupboard. We also got new bed linen; which is changed every ten days. At the meeting at 10, we were told just why we have to pack away our futon every morning; if we don't do it then we'll find at the end of semester, the tatami beneath it will have had turned green with mold. We also got told that we'd be assigned kitchen duties. The sorting of rubbish was again explained to us, and it's starting to sink in.

4:48pm　セミナーハウス
Deigo is just folding his shirts after ironing them. Lol, earlier today he spilt the water out of the iron onto the tatami floor. He's been having a bit of bad luck today, joking that it's because he drank from all three streams of the otowa no taki; this supposedly brings misfortune. I bought my weeks worth of shopping today. Not so bad for about $35. This doesn't cover my lunch though. But still, I'm happy. Gotta save as much money as I can on food and transport so I have more money for the fun stuff.

First day of classes tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. I'll be able to start getting into a routine. Of course, I'll still have to go out and have fun every now and then. So not much to say today, it's been a lazy one. Father's day in Australia today. Got to talk with my family over Skype after failing to get the video to work on MSN messenger. Oh well, it's all good now. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Day 2 - 31st of August

9:00 am　セミナーハウス
天気：暑い
Well I made it to my dorm in one piece. After getting off the limousine bus I realised I was not at Hirakata station. I had to ask for directions twice, to get there. I was a little worried but it turned out to be easy enough to find. Only a 5 minute walk away. When I got there, the bus I needed to get to the seminar houses had miraculously appeared. I was feeling very lucky at this point. I quickly jumped on. I overheard some girls talking about the seminar house and one of them (Amber as I later found out), helped me get there, after I payed the 220 yen fee. ~ In Japan, you pay the bus driver when you get off the bus ~
I was so relieved, when I got there. When I got to my room, after meeting my Otousan, I was immediately greeted by Georg from Germany, who is staying in our room temporarily. My roommate's name is Diego from Milwaukee, USA. He's originally from Brazil so speaks Portuguese and Spanish (you can tell by the name right). He's 22, and pretty cool. Anyway I need to make a list of what I need to buy. And, I'm meeting Dan today (my speaking partner) at 1pm.

6:48 pm セミナーハウス
Day two in Japan and I've started shedding the feeling of the impossibility of my situation. This morning I went to my first 99円 store, which I'd never heard of. Georg joked that the 100円 stores were for the snobs. It's just so crazy and weird to see that every single item is the same price. And yet, they still mark the prices on everything. In fact you actually pay 104円　for everything (I'm guessing that's the tax???) So yeah, we walked all the way to university which took about 20 minutes. It absolutely blew me away when I saw it. The buildings are huge!!! I took heaps of photos. It's sad though cause I didn't actually get anything done in terms of handing in forms. I just watched as Diego and Georg did their stuff xD. We met up with this girl from my dorm who's name escapes me, and ate lunch in the cafeteria after checking out the McDonalds and convenience store.

At 1pm I was able to meet Dan for the first time. He seems like a really great guy. He is already quite good at English. I also met his friend, Seimu Suzuki. He is better at English and I found it a bit easier to talk to him. I also talked to their friend Chihiro in Japanese. We will go to her house, and Dan's too, and they will cook for us. Dan likes basketball, piano and karate. He wants me to play his keyboard at his apartment . After walking and talking a bit more, we ended up splitting. Dan went home and Seimu walked me back to the seminar house.

I went out again to do my first "big" shop, at "Top World" (it's a grocery store). I didn't exactly know what the cashier was saying so I just smiled and nodded. Also you do your own packing. Anyway I've written too much already. Oh, I gave Alex a text at like 6:30 before I realised that she probs wouldn't get it. I'll send her an email. Anyway, going to have dinner now ...

11:52 pm　セミナーハウス
It's a great atmosphere here in the dorm. Everyone is so friendly and easy to talk to. I'll be helping Diego a lot, as he has never taken Japanese before; that should be fun. As for the other students, the degree of knowledge of Japanese is quite varied. I wonder how Alex is. Hopefully she is asleep in her hotel bed by now. I really, really need a better pillow. This one officially sucks (*Adds to mental shopping list*). LOL, and I need some cutlery for this week, as they don't provide it. I ate my curried pork and rice with the provided plastic spoon tonight. Nevertheless, it was so yummy. Tomorrow, I have a lot to do. I have to go to uni at 10:30 for the language placement test. I'm hoping that I'm at level 3-4. Then I need to make an appointment to register my laptop. Then I need to go to the PC@LL session. Maybe take the orientation tour. Hand in some forms (which reminds me I still need to get my insurance policy out) and pay my fees. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. I might meet with Seimu too. Good night ...