Day 171 - 17th of February

11:21pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
I’ve just finished some kanji practice for my Reading and Writing class; got a test on Friday. The amount of vocab and kanji we have to learn is so intense, but I guess it can’t be helped; we had to get good somehow. Today went well… I got an unexpected ride into uni with Otousan this morning. As I was walking toward the east gate, I saw Otousan driving and Jeremy on the passenger side, and they beckoned me to join them; so I did. I was quite funny when we went past Jacinthe, since she had past me only moments ago; I beat her to the lounge. I sat with Jo and Henry until class started, and we were treated by another speech; he talked about his life living in an apartment as opposed to the seminar houses this semester. There were some positives, but it sounded like it was a pretty negative experience; too bad. After class, I sat in the lounge with Jacinthe, and got my homework done, before we were joined by Hugo; he was doing his homework too. Just as Simon arrived, I had to get off to class; he went to lunch.

We’ve started chapter 2 of the Reading and Writing textbook, and boy is there a lot of kanji; and so many I’ve never seen before. It was a bit of a struggle, but we got through it, and at least the grammar points in this chapter are ones we’ve studied before. In Gender and Sexuality we talked continued a bit with Takarazuka, and the professor explained more of the field trip. We’ll be going the 7th of March (a Sunday), and the university is going to subsidise the tickets and transportation fares for us quite generously; so I’m definitely going. Then we continued on with the symbolic construction of gender, gender roles and the like, focusing on religion; Shinto in particular. After class, I made my way home. I put some rice on, then sorted out, and did some laundry, before going back up and making lunch. I watched children’s shows on TV, and Simon joined me, eating cereal for afternoon tea while describing to me his near death experience; his handle bars came off his bike as he was coming up to a red light at the bottom of a hill!

This didn’t make me feel very good about receiving his bike, but he said they went right back on, and we could get them fixed properly when we got to the bike shop; hopefully it’s free… After that, I went back downstairs and put my laundry out to dry, then caught up with Alex for the first time in weeks; that was great. Then I finished reading the Final Fantasy AC novel. It was actually quite heart-wrenching, and I felt mildly depressed when I finished it. It brought back so many memories of the past, when I was playing the game; I had such a deep connection with the characters. I guess I still do. So, a little shaken, I went upstairs to eat dinner; heated up 豚まん (butaman – steamed yeast bun with minced pork filling). They were actually really nice, and after just two I felt content. Talking and having a good laugh in the kitchen made me feel better. I offered Simon some Milo, which he enjoyed although he had to drink it out of a very small cup; I’m going to give him a larger one I have.

Just after 9, I came back downstairs and wrote out postcards; send them off tomorrow. Then I had a shower, before settling down and getting stuck into practice. Hugo arrived back at around 10:30, after going out for dinner; I wonder if it’s cheaper than cooking your own? It would be interesting to compare, that’s for sure. Anyway, I have uni at 12 tomorrow, so I’ll have plenty more time to revise for the test. After my classes, I’m going to probably go to the bike shop with Simon, and help him pick out a new bike, and his old one registered in my name. Then I’m going to go back to uni for the Japanese-French language exchange. It’s a great idea Jacinthe came up with. She, and other French speakers, are going to teach Japanese students, and other international students like me, how to speak French. I think this will be a good experience for me, as it’ll be relaxed, I’ll be learning the basics of French (which will be fun I think), and I’ll get to talk to Japanese students. I hope it goes well; I know Jacinthe has put a lot of effort into getting it organised. Anyway, time for sleep…

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...