Two courses down, two to go; so happy!!! Well, I’ll be even happier come Wednesday evening, after I’ve handed in my Gender and Sexuality essay. After that, all I’ll have to worry about is getting home in one piece; so much less stressful. Anyway, today was another beautiful warm day, but we’re expecting rain soon…I woke up at 8, and after a quick breakfast and shower, I did a bit more study for Reading and Writing, before going to face the inevitable. It actually turned out to be not that bad at all. I read a letter from Nanny just before starting, and that gave me the extra bit of encouragement I needed. I got out of their feeling good, and shortly made my way back home. After lunch, I took a nap. I had intended to only stay in bed for half an hour, but ended up hitting the snooze button about three times, and didn’t get up until about 1:30. After that though I felt better, and got stuck into researching for my Gender and Sexuality; this consisted of me scouring my reading package for anything that related to my topic. I’m talking about marriage in Japan, and how it has changed, and continues to change; should be good.
Carly came round a bit after 2:30 and I continued my research until almost 6; she brought chocolate, chips and cookies to keep me motivated. At the request of Mori Sempai, I went into uni to play Miyabi with her and Maarika one last time; we played in front of some of the students from other clubs. We ended on a high, but it’s still sad to think that’s the last time; I’ll definitely have to pick it up again one day. Hopefully Mori, and Midori can come to our graduation on Saturday; I’d really like to see them one last time. After that, we made our way back home, and I made cup noodles for Carly, and pizza for myself; I love easy meals. After eating in the lounge, I sat with everyone in the kitchen for about half an hour, talking about anything; I don’t have many more opportunities to have these kinds of interactions so I’m making the most of what’s left. After getting back downstairs at about 8:45, I spent the next hour and a half revising for tomorrow’s Reading exam; I’m not looking forward to it at all. Unlike the exam today, which focused on 3 chapters, the exam tomorrow will be on the entire textbook; 10 chapters!!! I think I’ll be okay; I know most of the grammar and vocab. It’s just a matter of being able to get everything done in an hour and 20 minutes. Well, I’d better get some sleep now; get one more course out of the way tomorrow…
Today was a long, but fun-filled (for the most part) day.It was cloudy, but didn’t end up raining, which was nice. So many wonderful memories were made today, and there was no shortage of tears. I’m sure there will be more to come; both memories and tears… I had my last Reading and Writing class at 9 this morning, and got my Sakubun handed in before spending the lesson revising. Straight afterwards, I went home and slept for a few hours; I was really tired for some reason. I had lunch, and then got a bit of revision in, before heading back to uni and taking my Gender and Sexuality quiz; it wasn’t too hard. After that, I was done for the day. I got back home at about 2, and then got my field report finished; so happy. Haven’t sent it off yet; probably do that tomorrow. Then I had some time to get ready for the party. I showered and shaved, and then went up to Ash and Katie’s room for a little while. Sarah and Katie were typing up subtitles for their skit, to put on YouTube; the teacher sent them the recording. Carly was curled up like a cat. Rachel and Ash arrived back at about 6, and I couldn’t help yelling at them in the front driveway from the room; it was rather disconcerting for them. Julie arrived soon after that, and I yelled a greeting at her too.
Since I had 20 minutes before the party, I decided to go straighten my hair; Carly followed. On the way down, I caught Julie and she showed us her model shots; they were so amazing. I still had just enough time to straighten my hair, and get started on my JASSO report (like the first line), before going up to the kitchen with my Milo biscuits and Tim Tams. The next hour and a half involved lots of eating, t-shirt signing, photo taking, and general craziness. First off, Jeremy and I were awarded a certificate of appreciation and a t-shirt each, for being the cleaning group leaders; thanks RAs. Then we got stuck into eating. I was really glad that Carly was allowed to come into the kitchen, because it meant that she didn’t have to wait out in the hallway to enjoy the food. Biancha made two wonderful rolls, Liz a pound cake, the RA’s these amazing mochi/anko sweets, and Okaasan, coffee jelly; admittedly that wasn’t very nice. But everything else was delicious. My biscuits were a hit too, and everyone completely forgot about the Tim Tams until about halfway through when I saw them there looking all abandoned, and let everyone know; all three packets were gone in less than a minute. After eating we all got into t-shirt signing, or in the case of a few people, notebooks.
There was even a special card to sign for Otoosan and Okaasan, which was a really nice though. Also, I was supposed to play the koto. The setting up in the kitchen part was fine, but the part where I didn’t have the music was not. For some reason, my Miyabi sheet music has ran away from me. I was getting really nervous and desperate so I ran over to seminar house 1 to see if Maarika was there; she wasn’t!!! Luckily, Rose was in so I was able to go up to the room and find the music; it was really easy to locate. Then I rushed back to the kitchen and was happy to find most people still there. Since Miyabi is meant for two koto, my performance wasn’t great (especially since I dropped the music on the last page) but I think everyone appreciated it. After that, everyone who had had shirts signed put them on, and we got some group photos. At 8:30, it was finally time to pack up, as people would be going out to Toriki afterwards for all you can eat and drink. Since I had just been, I didn’t feel the need to go again; nor did I feel like to dish out 3000円. Instead, after getting everything put away, I made a quick, quick dinner (gyudon) and went downstairs to watch Stardust with the gang; such a good movie. That finished at about 11, and then everyone toddled off to their rooms; everyone except Ash, Rachel and I. Ash felt like English muffins and tea, and Rachel just felt like tea; I just had a Milo. Then light conversation ensued…
Well, the streak of sunny weather was broken today (never three days of sun in a row), but although it was cloudy, at least it was warm. I got up at about 8, and had vegemite on English Muffins for breakfast. I don’t know if I’ve already mentioned this but before coming here, Ash had never heard of English muffins, which I think is quite funny actually. But, it just goes to show those kind of names don’t always reflect where they’re actually made. Anyway, after getting ready, I made my way to uni and got to class on time. Today in Speaking, we finished off our final grammar pattern (ever!), and then basically spent the rest of the lesson stuffing around. Well, we sang our last song together in class, called バンザイ～好きでよかった (Banzai~suki de yokatta) by ウルフルズ (Urufuruzu – strange band name), and watched a clip from a program showing a restaurant near Otsu where they serve giant (and I mean giant) portions of food like omu-rice, gyudon, katsudon, and curry-rice. The whole class was awestruck, but at the same time our mouths were watering. And so incredibly cheap too; I really want to find it!!! So that was fun. In my break, I got my homework done, sitting with Sarah and Katie the lounge, and then worked on kanji.
We started on the final lesson in Reading and Writing class today, and also got the instructions for our second and final sakubun. This time, we have to write about one of our favourite books. Since I haven’t actually read a book in ages, and Sensei said that manga is okay too, I think I’m going to write about Reborn. I know I haven’t read very much yet, but I can talk about what I’ve liked so far, how it has shaped my perception of Shonen manga (manga for boys), how I’ve found reading it (reasonably easygoing for the most part), and what I thinks going to happen next; I think that’ll be fine. After class, I bumped into Maarika in the corridor, and she told me that most people wouldn’t be turning up for practice till 6 this evening. So, she suggested that I post a note on the door letting everyone know that practice wouldn’t start till then; I wasn’t going to go in at 4:30, if I could get other stuff done instead. So, I did that and then made my way home. After lunch, I worked on my presentations some more, trying to make sentences that included the grammar patterns we’ve learned. 5:30 came around faster than I would have liked, and then it was time to go. Since it had gotten colder, I rugged up a bit, and then made my way back.
It ended up being just Maarika, Mori and Midori Sempai, and me practicing this evening. I went to pick up the key, and then Maarika and I got everything set up, and after a bit of practice the other two showed up. It was quite productive though, the two girls helping us through Miyabi by playing along; we went through it several times. I have resigned to playing the first koto part (leaving the solo to Maarkia), as the second part is just too burdensome for the time we have to master it; the performance is next Friday. Still, I felt really accomplished playing with the sempai; we all worked together really well. Mori also gave us our tickets for Sensei’s koto performance, and they were nice enough to pay for one for Carly too; I was so grateful. We also planned some get together parties (karaoke and the like), which will be coming up soon; really looking forward to them. Pack up ran very smoothly today, except for one thing. The straps on the new bag Mori Sempai had got to carry the makura and stands, to replace the old one that had a hole in it, broke. I heard her scream, and the subsequent crash of things hitting the floor, and quickly rushed up the stairwell to help out; everything was fine. Luckily she had another bag, and hopefully this one will be a little bit more durable; I guess we shouldn’t put so much in them either.
I rode home with Maarika, and as we were nearing the seminar houses, we met up with Rachael; I slowed down, and talked with her the rest of the way. Getting home, I dropped my stuff off, and then went upstairs to the kitchen, sitting with Ash and Rachel watching TV for a while before cooking dinner; gyudon. I stayed up there until about 9, and then got into a bit of study, helping Hugo a bit with his homework too. Julie was kind enough to lend me her battery charger, so that’s all under control now. I think I’m going to transfer another video across, just so I have two blank tapes ready for golden week; I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot. Apart from going to Hikone with Alex, I’m going to try to get in a few day trips; Katie and Sarah have some really interesting days planned. It’s coming up to crunch time once more, and I’ve got a lot to think about, and a lot to do. I’m really looking forward to this holiday, but at the same time I’m hoping that I won’t be stressing about everything I have to do; if I manage my time effectively, I think I’ll be fine. Well, I’m going to get some sleep now…
Today was a bit of a crazy day (just like the weather has been lately), but it produced lots of laughs and benefits… First off, I was adamant in getting my hair cut today so this morning, as soon as I got up, I rode out to find a hairdresser that was open. I rode down the main street, having a general idea of which place I wanted to go to, but not really minding; as long as the prices and facilities looked reasonable. I stopped at one place, which was just about to open for 9, but since I had a little bit of time till then, I decided to continue on. Not very much further down was “11 cut”, and I actually remember Midori Sempai mentioning the name yesterday. I decided to give this place a try, and I arrived just as it opened; I seemed to call to me. I was the second customer in there (a little boy was getting his hair cut), and after explaining what I wanted, I filled out a few things, and then was immediately sat down. I had a nice young girl as my hairdresser, and I did my best to convey what I wanted to her. The main thing was that I wanted my hair thinned out, but no length off, and I got that across fine; she was using the right kind of scissors for it, so I knew I’d got it right. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t dye my hair for me, the lady at the front saying that the product they use wouldn’t be suitable for the “Okyakusama” (The customer’s i.e. me) hair. That was okay though, because I knew if I did it myself it would work out cheaper.
After the cut was done to my satisfaction (and it really was), I was taken over to the basin; I couldn’t resist getting a wash. This turned out to be just as interesting an experience as my first at a hairdresser in Japan. After she rinsed and shampooed it once, she was like “okay, now it’s time for the shower machine”; shower machine?!! I didn’t really know what it must have looked like since my face was covered with a cloth (they like to do that here it seems), but I could feel it. Some sort of plastic hood was put over me, with towels stuffed around the sides. They were obviously to keep the water from getting everywhere during what could only be described as a spa treatment for your hair. Jets of warm water were shot at my hair from all directions, at different frequencies and sequences; it was quite bizarre. I did enjoy it though, and after it had finished the girl asked what I thought, and I just replied with “omoshiroi” (interesting or funny). After that, she had a bit of fun styling it and what not, and her product of choice was spray. It actually held my hair really well, and puffed it up a lot which looked quite cool. So, you can imagine, I walked away (well rode) very satisfied; and very hungry. I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, because I didn’t have any milk. So I did a quick shop at Fresco and Kirindo before getting back; in Kirindo I got the dye for my hair.
I ended up having breakfast a bit after 10, and it was very satisfying (I’ve been using that word a lot tonight). After that, I quickly got ready for uni, and then made my way there. I was cool and cloudy today, but it never ended up raining which was nice. I went straight up to the 4th floor, actually a little early for class. So a waited around and talked with Nathan, soon to find Ash emerging from her Japanese class in a lilac wig and school girl outfit; she was cosplaying for her presentation today. I must say, she looked quite good, though the hair colour and style was a bit strange; I wish I had brought my camera. Anyway, today in class, we got the opportunity to talk with some of the Japanese students here at Kansai Gaidai, asking them questions that had been compiled by Saigo Sensei; we had each submitted two questions to him last week. Well, some of the questions were actually pretty deep and philosophical (including one of mine) like – when you go to shopping, do you receive plastic bags? What do you thing about plastic bags destroying nature or; what do you think about Japan’s declining population? What should the government do about it? Some of them were funny or strange like – if you got stranded on a deserted island, what would be the one thing you’d have to have or; what do you think about Japan’s pornography problem??? And then a lot of them had to do with university, study, travel, and the like.
We got circulated around 4 times, and were in pairs or groups of three; two Japanese girls (because they were all girls), to one of us. This was great because Saigo Sensei informed us that the last class only had two Japanese students come in; we were lucky I guess. We started off playing a game, and then got into conversation mode. For the most part I enjoyed it, although I was sometimes struggling for what to say next; I didn’t ask very many of the questions. I tried to keep it as natural as possible, trying to facilitate conversation flow. After class, I spent the break in the lounge with Rachel while she was reading her novel for class, trying not to distract her too much. Distraction came from elsewhere though, as Katie brought with her two Japanese girls who would be attending her university next semester; so I got another opportunity to speak Japanese. Pretty soon though, I had to leave for Religion, which was actually pretty depressing; it was about Buddhism. And basically, Buddhism teaches that life is suffering, and happiness is an illusion, and we are stuck in an endless cycle of pain and bitterness; reincarnation. The only way out is to find Nirvana, which anyone can do except, contrary to popular belief, Nirvana doesn’t mean paradise, it means extinction; we become nothingness beyond our conceptions of nothingness. Apparently, nothing is better than suffering. One good, happy thing that came out of religion though, was that we’re going to be getting a 1000円reimbursement for going on the Tenri fieldtrip! Admittedly though, it was an interesting class, though I’m not going to apply any of it into my own life. I like Tenrikyo much better; pursuing happiness!!!
Being depressed made me hungry, so all I wanted to do was go home and eat; I joked. So, I went back home, and after lunch I did a bit of study. Before long, I had to turn around and go back to university for koto club. I was a little early, so after dropping my bag in the club room I went to photocopy 雅び (Miyabi – “elegance”), which is the new piece we got, at the convenience store; for both Maarika and I. Then I was on a mission to find the keys for the practice room. Since Midori Sempai had suggested it yesterday, I went to the CIE to see if I could find her; she was supposed to get the key out, and pass it on to me. I didn’t find Midori Sempai there, but I did find Mori Sempai, just about to get into the elevator. She let me know where to find the key, and what to say, and then she was off to class; it was up to me. So I went over to student affairs in the main administration building, and told the guy at the reception desk what I needed. It didn’t seem like he understood what I said; I used “sensoubu”, the correct name for koto club. Since that didn’t work, I reverted to using “koto kurabu”. He finally understood, and got me to fill out something before handing me the key. He gave me that look of, “Why is a foreign student doing this”… whatever!!! That done I went back to the club room to find Brittney and Natalie already inside; Natalie has a key too. Before setting up the koto, we had to clean the floor, just like old times, expect with a lot less people; Kirianna turned up about halfway through cleaning, and helped out, which was great.
The five of us (Tami-chan also joined us), then brought the koto and stands down, and got to practicing. Soon, Maarika too showed up, and she went to make copies of Kagaribi for us; so we were even. A bit after she returned, Sensei arrived. Mori and Midori Sempai weren’t here yet, so I was a little worried, but sensei was really great (and Maarika did most of the talking), so pretty soon the two of us were practicing Miyabi with her; and boy did my legs hurt after that. It was Natalie, Kirianna and Tami’s turn after that, and sensei went through the basics with them, and went through Sakura sakura. Mori and Midori Sempai, as well as Riho and Miki (another potential club entrant) joined us during this time. Sensei then went through Hanagoromo with Brittney, and part way through got me to join them; Sensei could sense Brittney was a little nervous playing alone. Sensei then proceeded to play the Shakuhachi part on the koto, which was actually really cool. Finally, it came around Midori and Mori Sempai’s turn, and they played 春の光 (Haru no Hikari – “The light of spring”), which we had never heard before; it was quite pretty. While Riho and Miki didn’t get to play (which I thought was kind of a shame), I think they got a good idea of what the club is all about; they seemed to like Sensei a lot too. After she left, Mori let us know that Sensei would be performing in concert on the 16th of May (a Sunday) in Nipponbashi, and we could all receive tickets for free; well, the club money would pay for them. Of course I want to go; I think it’ll be spectacular. And since I don’t plan that far in advance, I’m totally free for it. Soon after that announcement, everyone but Maarika, Midori and Mori Sempai, and I left, even though we still had half an hour of practice time left; oh well.
For that remaining time, the girls tried like crazy to get me to be able to do this particular type of strumming action on the koto, that is part of Miyabi; I just couldn’t do it. I was a little jealous that Maarika had gotten the hang of it so fast, but hopefully with a bit of practice I’ll be able to do it; just have to think positive. We ended up going a little overtime, which freaked Mori Sempai out to no end. After we packed up, she was so worried about getting the room key back in time, that she didn’t even lock the practice room first; this resulted in Mori Sempai having to chase after her. All I could do was laugh; Maarika on the other hand was up in the Spanish club room eating an ice cream. Everything turned out fine though, and I ended up riding back with Mori Sempai, after I caught up with her that is; she rides so fast! It was a bit past 8 when I got back, and I just heated up my leftover stew for dinner; always handy when getting back late. At 9, it was cleaning time for Katie and Ash, and Rachel and I helped out also; I had no problem taking the role of leader and letting others know what they should do. While washing up a bit of horseplay occurred, after I made a rather brash comment about staring at certain parts of Ash. Katie decided to take it upon herself to “defend” Ash’s dignity and chased me around the kitchen prodding me in the sides, which of course elicited rather loud cries from me; it was quite hilarious.
It continued when I referred to Ash as “sir” (she’s asked me to call her that before), and she proceeded to call me a “prized plonker” as I said good night to everyone; it was the most British thing she’d said in a while, and it made me so happy. Another bout of prodding ensued in the hall, just as Katie and Sarah were about to get into the elevator; I don’t know what got into Katie. My night of fun wasn’t quite over yet though; it was time to colour my hair! After getting everything ready, and got straight to it and the whole process ended up taking about an hour. However, I was extremely happy with the result; I’m a red head again!!! This red is really nice and subtle though, and covers my roots really well; although I did miss a few spots. I am now very satisfied (there I go again) with my hair, and won’t have to do anything else to it until after I return to Australia. I spent the rest of the night just listening to music, and studying a bit for my vocab quiz in Reading and Writing tomorrow. Also tomorrow, is the practice for the inter-Seminar House sports festival we’re having on Saturday; it’s going to be heaps of fun, as long as everyone shows up. Wow, this was a really long blog post for a weekday…
