Alright, trying to do as I said in the last update and try to post updates more often.
Today we went to school for the opening ceremony, which started at 11. This time I managed to get up in time (yay!) so we had plenty of time. However, when we came to school it turns out there was a lesson that morning prior to the ceremony, which we never knew. There were 3 out of all of us who showed up for that lesson, so at least we weren't the only ones.
Once we got into the auditorium it dawned on us that the Japanese way of coming formally dressed, and our way of coming formally dressed were two very different things. If we gaijins weren't easy to pick out before, we certainly were now, since everyone else were wearing black suits and skirts and we were all wearing relatively colorful clothes today. I guess we can write it off on our gaijin-quota for now, though that list has become remarkably long in just two weeks,.
The ceremony itself...well, I can really say anything about the contents of the speeches (and there sure was plenty of speeching going around) since they were all spoken in Japanese, but the mood itself was rather like going to church. The whole thing was solemn, elevated and ceremonial, and no one knew the lyrics to the songs. It made me wonder how they would react to going to a school ceremony on Blindern, though I'm not sure such a thing even exists. It was amusing to notice that more than one of the people gathered on stage (teachers I would assume, though I could see none of ours there) actually feel asleep during the speeches. However it served the purpose of instilling in us some pride at coming to Josai, and a sense of school spirit, I suppose. And we did get to bow a lot :) I realize as I write this that I make it sound sort of bad, but it really wasn't all that bad. It was interesting to see the ceremony as a cultural event, it's just a shame that I couldn't understand anything that was being said. Also, they gave us sweet rice :)
After lunch we all marched off to Kobayashi's office to get our bikes. It turned out to be a big affair, where we had some sort of lottery to decide who would bikes that would be «Good bikes, or really good bikes», as the man himself put it. I think I ended up getting a good bike :)
However it was then that I realized that, with the exception of my adrenaline-fueled ride yesterday, it's been about 12 years since I last rode a bike. Needless to say I fumbled quite a bit before we all rolled out of school grounds. Ten minutes later I'm hanging head first down a deep ditch on the side of the freeway, thanking the powers that be that I didn't skid another 2 meters into the wooden fence there. After having Karianne help pull me back up, and after having been giggled at by the guys and ogled by the people driving past (did I mention I was wearing a dress? Thank god tights are in fashion!), I gathered up myself, the bike and a severely wounded pride and headed back to the safety of my appartment.
Oh, I did not get hit by a car if that's what you all thought. I managed it all on my own. That is to say, another woman on a bike was coming in the opposite direction, and I swerved to the side to let her pass. However there's a large amount of roadwork being done along this stretch, and though I managed to avoid crashing into the cone on the side of the road, I failed to notice some random piece of wood sticking out of the ground. And off I went! I don't suppose I looked or sounded very elegant during my flight, but Karianne assured me that I had fallen in a very ladylike fashion with my knees together, thus sparing me the experience of mooning Toganes rushour traffic. The whole thing rewarded me with a giant bruise on my inner thigh, and an ancle that for some reason didn't start hurting untilt tonight.
I feel a distinct need to complain about traffic and sidewalks in this town. Because there's a whole lot of the first, and the latter is significantly narrower than the ones back at home. Also, they place the traffic lights on the sidewalk instead of next to it. Add 30 cm of concrete railings and pedestrians and old ladies on bicycles, and the whole thing looks alot like a gauntlet at times. Also, people here drive like madmen, going full throttle seemingly at all times, in particual when coming from small roads leading into the freeway. I swear, between my cycling skills and the condition of the sidewalks I'll be greatly surprised if I manage to complete my jlpt with life and limbs intact. There, rant over.
In other news; I was so thrilled to hear that Molde will be in the cupfinal this year. Gogo MFK! And that the match will be against Ålesund makes it all the better. I'm seriously considering staying up late the night of the match so I can watch it on webtv; I hope tv2 sumo works outside Norway. I hope alot of my friends and relatives will be going to Oslo to see the match live, and that they will cheer the team on for me as well :)
Also tried KFC for the first time today (haven't bothered before, since it's a long walk) and I really enjoyed it, though next time I'll skip the Coke since my food got tossed about so much in the basket on my bike on the way home, that half of it was soggy :S Still good though!
Karianne and Bjørn and I spent a few hours at the local arcade today, where I very determinedly set about getting a teddybear to replace my husband. I suspect the whole thing is rigged though, since it was damn near impossible to even move anything. I did have a lot of fun trying one of the games, though I have no idea what I'd be able to win. If anything. I started to try and describe to you guys what the game is about, but it sounded like nonsense even to me, so I'll skip it :)
I was thinking about going to Tokyo Gameshow this weekend, but I decided against it since the trip is relatively long and costly, plus I'd definately be wanting to buy something. So you FFXI guys are just gonna have to pay attention on various websites; you won't be getting any first-hand news from me :(
I'll finish today's post by stating that it's still sunny here, and I bet it averages over 25 degrees celcius. I've even gotten a tan! Well, it only looks like a tan when you compare it to the places on me that hasn't been exposed to the sun, but still, tan, yay! I bet it's cold and wet in Norway now, so sucks to be you! :D
fredag 25. september 2009
torsdag 24. september 2009
From the land of the dead
By which I'm referring to my appartment. My terrace to be more precise. When I arrived in my appartment I was surprised to find my terrace (in all its 1,5x0,5 glory) being squatted by a rather large and definately dead beetle. At first I thought it was a cockroach, but to keep my piece of mind I firmly decided it be a beetle from then on. Well, one day I was hoovering (it's only been that one time, really), and I diligently removed the squatter from my property. However, the next day I awoke to find a dead cricket there instead. I didn't think much of it until I brought my brand new rubber ducky into the house. It'll only float belly up :( In a week or so I'll probably have darkhaired japanese ladies crawling out of the tv and hiding in the cupboard. Too many japanese horror movies? Me? No way!
Imminent doom aside; on Monday we (the MaiDreams-crew as we now call ourselves) went back to Tokyo in hopes of finding the Imperial East Gardens open this time around. Which we did. It was a nice day for a walk in the park, sunny, but not too hot. The Gardens are as beautiful now as they were when Eirik and I went there 4 years ago. Nothing had changed at all, it was as if (pardon the clichè) time had stopped. As we went into the corner of the gardens with the small streams and the koi fish I got a huge lump in my throat, because I could so vividly remember the times when Eirik and I walked there. We were being so silly and romantic in that garden, so when I now stopped at the waterfall where we got our picture taken last time, I had to stop myself from crying outright. God, I miss that man so much sometimes. But maybe we'll have time to return there when he comes in January to watch it in winter. If it's open that is.
After walking down memory lane we decided to go to a whole other side of Tokyo, both literally and geographically; Harajuku. The district was bursting at the seams with people from the moment we went off the metro; it's kind of crazy looking at such an amoun of people in the same place, when you come from a small town like Molde. Molde's population could probably fit in there ten times over. We didn't do much there except looking at the japanese street fashion, but that was an experience in itself. Karianne and I briefly (we had two guys with us) snuck into a few stores, but we couldn't really find anything we wanted, which is kind of amazing taking into consideration that this is a shopping district. In our defence, a lot of the stores are big brand stuff like Gucci and Tiffany's and that kind of stuff. I was afraid they'd charge us for breathing their air if we went in there, if the appearances of the shops where anything to go by.
We crossed trough Harajuku into Shinjuku, but by the time we got out from the arcade we wandered into it was about time to head back to Togane. We stopped by a small bookshop at the station to buy some manga before we left, and I bought the first volume of Vagabond. I've read it before in English, but in a fit of wild confidence in my abilities I decided I was ready to read it in Japanese. After looking at it when I got home it was appearant that I'd need a new kanji dictionary, plus a heavy dose of patience.
So the day after I went to Wonder-Goo (electronic's shop, and yes, it's the real name) to buy a Nintendo DS. Why you say? Because appearantly a DS is cheaper than buying the electronic dictionaries they want as to get, and the program you buy for it lets you look up words and kanji just as well. Plus I found a used Super Mario game for 1300 yen, you can calculate into your preferred currency yourself, I'm too lazy to get up at the moment.
I did not, however, find the program I needed for the DS dictionary that was the whole reason I bought the thing, and after checking the electronic's store close to school it seems I need to go way across town to check the store down there, and if they don't have it there, head in to Tokyo. I hear we'll be going there at some point for a school trip though, so hopefully I won't have to go to Tokyo just to get that one thing.
Today started out as one of the worst days here yet. I was woken up by the doorbell at 8.30 by the rest of the crew, who were all ready to go to school. I was certainly not. After a whole lot of swearing I spent the next ten minutes washing, drying and straightening my hair, while getting my clothes on, putting makeup on and packing my pack simultaneously. Fast forward another 20 minutes, and I start wondering whether I unplugged my straightening iron before I left the house. I decided I did (I always have, though I always think I've forgotten), and we went off to school. The first period the teacher decides to give us a pop quiz. On the first day! Now, I had studied for this lesson; studied the kanji and read the dialogues and written notes in my textbook. I did not memorize all the vocabulary for that dialogue, which was exactly what the test was for. Good grief.
By the next lesson I am seriously worried about my straightening iron, and the whole lesson through I picture dark smoke on the horizon and the smell of burning houses. My anxiety aside, it was a great class. Our teacher turned out to be Akiko, who was our assistant teacher last year. She's such a sweet person, and I'm glad to have her preparing us for the JLPT's.
After this lesson I borrowed Yumi's bike, and zoomed back to my place to check on my straightening iron, all the while imagening a Togane in flames on the news accompanied by violins and the sound of crying children. The iron was of course turned off, so I swapped into pants (after showing my thighs off to the locals when biking home) and zoomed back to school.
I arrived for our last lesson of the day red-faced, sweating like a pig and with legs as mushy as the noodles I chowed down at home. From there on, however, the day turned itself around, much to the honor of which goes to our new teacher, whose name I have written down on a piece of paper that has mysteriously vanished at the moment. All in all a great guy; cheerful and with a good dose of humor and self-irony (if that's even a word in english). He had us all introduce ourselves and state our hobbies etc, and when he found out I played Dungeons & Dragons he called me hardcore :D
He must be a real smart guy too, because from what I could make out (he spoke only in Japanese, and very fast), he's studied at pretty much every big university in the US, including Princeton. Intelligent and made of awesome. I already I know I'll love this class :)
The latest news is that we'll get our bikes tomorrow after the opening ceremony, which may not sound like a big deal, but it really is considering the distances in this town. So yay for that! Now I'll just have to try and survive the next few months, since appearantly people get run over all the time here (when they're not jumping off bridges, we've been warned of traindelays).
Also, Kobayashi (our student councellor) says we'll get internet in the first week of october, and since october starts next thursday, I think I can manage. Though keep in mind that the time Josai runs on is usually slower than the one the rest of us follow. But for now, I'm thrilled at getting a bike, and now that I have a date to look forward to for the internet it'll be much easier to cope :)
Note to self: update more often to avoid wall-of-text's. Obasan out!
Imminent doom aside; on Monday we (the MaiDreams-crew as we now call ourselves) went back to Tokyo in hopes of finding the Imperial East Gardens open this time around. Which we did. It was a nice day for a walk in the park, sunny, but not too hot. The Gardens are as beautiful now as they were when Eirik and I went there 4 years ago. Nothing had changed at all, it was as if (pardon the clichè) time had stopped. As we went into the corner of the gardens with the small streams and the koi fish I got a huge lump in my throat, because I could so vividly remember the times when Eirik and I walked there. We were being so silly and romantic in that garden, so when I now stopped at the waterfall where we got our picture taken last time, I had to stop myself from crying outright. God, I miss that man so much sometimes. But maybe we'll have time to return there when he comes in January to watch it in winter. If it's open that is.
After walking down memory lane we decided to go to a whole other side of Tokyo, both literally and geographically; Harajuku. The district was bursting at the seams with people from the moment we went off the metro; it's kind of crazy looking at such an amoun of people in the same place, when you come from a small town like Molde. Molde's population could probably fit in there ten times over. We didn't do much there except looking at the japanese street fashion, but that was an experience in itself. Karianne and I briefly (we had two guys with us) snuck into a few stores, but we couldn't really find anything we wanted, which is kind of amazing taking into consideration that this is a shopping district. In our defence, a lot of the stores are big brand stuff like Gucci and Tiffany's and that kind of stuff. I was afraid they'd charge us for breathing their air if we went in there, if the appearances of the shops where anything to go by.
We crossed trough Harajuku into Shinjuku, but by the time we got out from the arcade we wandered into it was about time to head back to Togane. We stopped by a small bookshop at the station to buy some manga before we left, and I bought the first volume of Vagabond. I've read it before in English, but in a fit of wild confidence in my abilities I decided I was ready to read it in Japanese. After looking at it when I got home it was appearant that I'd need a new kanji dictionary, plus a heavy dose of patience.
So the day after I went to Wonder-Goo (electronic's shop, and yes, it's the real name) to buy a Nintendo DS. Why you say? Because appearantly a DS is cheaper than buying the electronic dictionaries they want as to get, and the program you buy for it lets you look up words and kanji just as well. Plus I found a used Super Mario game for 1300 yen, you can calculate into your preferred currency yourself, I'm too lazy to get up at the moment.
I did not, however, find the program I needed for the DS dictionary that was the whole reason I bought the thing, and after checking the electronic's store close to school it seems I need to go way across town to check the store down there, and if they don't have it there, head in to Tokyo. I hear we'll be going there at some point for a school trip though, so hopefully I won't have to go to Tokyo just to get that one thing.
Today started out as one of the worst days here yet. I was woken up by the doorbell at 8.30 by the rest of the crew, who were all ready to go to school. I was certainly not. After a whole lot of swearing I spent the next ten minutes washing, drying and straightening my hair, while getting my clothes on, putting makeup on and packing my pack simultaneously. Fast forward another 20 minutes, and I start wondering whether I unplugged my straightening iron before I left the house. I decided I did (I always have, though I always think I've forgotten), and we went off to school. The first period the teacher decides to give us a pop quiz. On the first day! Now, I had studied for this lesson; studied the kanji and read the dialogues and written notes in my textbook. I did not memorize all the vocabulary for that dialogue, which was exactly what the test was for. Good grief.
By the next lesson I am seriously worried about my straightening iron, and the whole lesson through I picture dark smoke on the horizon and the smell of burning houses. My anxiety aside, it was a great class. Our teacher turned out to be Akiko, who was our assistant teacher last year. She's such a sweet person, and I'm glad to have her preparing us for the JLPT's.
After this lesson I borrowed Yumi's bike, and zoomed back to my place to check on my straightening iron, all the while imagening a Togane in flames on the news accompanied by violins and the sound of crying children. The iron was of course turned off, so I swapped into pants (after showing my thighs off to the locals when biking home) and zoomed back to school.
I arrived for our last lesson of the day red-faced, sweating like a pig and with legs as mushy as the noodles I chowed down at home. From there on, however, the day turned itself around, much to the honor of which goes to our new teacher, whose name I have written down on a piece of paper that has mysteriously vanished at the moment. All in all a great guy; cheerful and with a good dose of humor and self-irony (if that's even a word in english). He had us all introduce ourselves and state our hobbies etc, and when he found out I played Dungeons & Dragons he called me hardcore :D
He must be a real smart guy too, because from what I could make out (he spoke only in Japanese, and very fast), he's studied at pretty much every big university in the US, including Princeton. Intelligent and made of awesome. I already I know I'll love this class :)
The latest news is that we'll get our bikes tomorrow after the opening ceremony, which may not sound like a big deal, but it really is considering the distances in this town. So yay for that! Now I'll just have to try and survive the next few months, since appearantly people get run over all the time here (when they're not jumping off bridges, we've been warned of traindelays).
Also, Kobayashi (our student councellor) says we'll get internet in the first week of october, and since october starts next thursday, I think I can manage. Though keep in mind that the time Josai runs on is usually slower than the one the rest of us follow. But for now, I'm thrilled at getting a bike, and now that I have a date to look forward to for the internet it'll be much easier to cope :)
Note to self: update more often to avoid wall-of-text's. Obasan out!
søndag 20. september 2009
While the noodles are cooking
Alright, I said I'd post from now on in english so my friends who don't speak norwegian can feel included :)
Starting with a follow up to my last post. Somehow I've managed to end up in the A class, which means me and 9 others will follow a schedule that will be slightly more difficult than the rest of the guys. I'm not sure I can manage to keep up, but I'll certainly do my best. The 4 other guys who live in the same dorm as me have also ended up in the same class, so I'm sure we will study together regularly.
The teachers seem nice, but we've only had one introductory class so I don't know yet how difficult the classes will be. Bit I've browsed through the books we will be using and I noticed that the first chapter at least will be partly repetition of stuff we learned last year.
I've gone into tokyo twice with the 4 others living at my dorm (Bjørn, Joachim, Karianne and Lorenzo). The first time was to go into Akihabara (electric town) to look for a mac for Karianne, and cool gadgets for the rest of us :) It was a fun trip, though the highlight of the day was when we decided to go to a cafe for a cold drink.
We'd been handed out a flyer earlier, for something called MaiDreams, which boasted pictures of pretty girls in maid outfits on it. The guys being in the majority, we ended up going there; needless to say I was more than slightly sceptical of the whole idea.
We took an elevator up to the fourth floor, and as the doors opened with a cheerful ding we walked into what can only be described as a mix of barbie's playhouse and every boys upost fantasy. The room was all plastic, and everything was white and pink. The second the door opened we were assaulted by a loud "IRRASHAIMASEEEEE" from three girls in maidoutfits, screeching their welcome at the top of their lungs in a pitch high enough for bats to pick up.
We were guided to our table by a young maid whose shoes seemed three numbers too large, in a dress three numbers too small, and wearing more plastic accessories than the whole of the 80's combined couldn't compete with.
We ordered some drinks only, as all the food had cute little faces painted on them and we just couldn't bring ourselves to eat them. As the maid returned with our drinks, she also brought a plastic sheet, from which she read loudly in a heavy-accented voice. Turns out there was a special ceremony that came with buying drinks in this place, and I'm still suriprised we did it, though we've had some good laugh of it since. The ritual went as follows; we made a heart shape with our hands, and while moving it around we sang "One, two three: MAKE FOOD DELICIOUS!", immediately followed by a substantial amount of cheering and clapping. Sadly we missed the two middleaged men in suits on the next table performing the same song.
After we had finished our drinks (we opted not to buy pictures of the maids), we somewhat sheepishly made our escape, with the sound of "Sayonara, master!" guiding us out.
Our next trip to Tokyo was yesterday, when we decided to go see the Imperial East Gardens, an open part of the park surrounding the Imperial estate. However, it turned out that the park was closed on sundays (whut?), and so were the ones in the viscinity. So instead we decided to go to Shinjuku to watch the kids prance around in the latest fashion, and to maybe do some shopping ourselves. In unbridled optimism, and perhaps in a slightly skewed perception of our physical condition we decided to walk. Turns out it wasn't as short a walk as it seemed on the map, and the blazing sun didn't help. It was a nice walk though, surprisingly considering how close we were to a freeway. We followed a rive for a large part of the walk, and most of the time there were plenty of trees and greenery along the path.
After arriving in Shinjuku we spent some time just walking around and enjoying the sight of the crowds and the architecture. We also spent some time in various arcades, in one of which I was beaten the crap out of in Tekken 6 by some Japanese guy, who had probably lived in that arcade for most of his life. No, I'm not a sore looser :P
Twelve hours after we left home, we returned to our appartments, tired and slightly sunburned, but on the whole pleased with our excursion :)
In other news; we still have no internet, so I'm leeching off the wireless network of one of the neighbours. The signal is poor to say the least, so I leave it alone apart from writing the odd mail and sometimes talking to des on skype. Writing this post I have to constantly save my work, in case I get disconnected, which happens depressingly often. I also look forward to being able to getting up to speed on tv-shows that are not all in Japanese (though I do watch japanese tv alot).
We also don't have bikes yet, which sucks considering the distance in Togane. Add humidity and heat, and shopping for grocieries can sometimes be a bit of a chore.
We tried karaoke on Friday, which was so much fun! I sang to my heart's content, and hardly had a voice left on Saturday. It's kind of dangerous to go there though, as for the price of the room you get free drinks for as long as you stay (and they're open to like 5 or 6 in the morning), and their oh so tasty mango drinks pack a serious punch :S
All in all I am happy here, though I do get the occasional pang of homesickness. The worst thing is being seperated from my husband; I'm still not used to having to be without him, and I miss him terribly. However it has gotten alot better during the last few days, as I have become more at home here. And I'm sure it'll help once I have a stable internet connection, so that I can talk to him more.
Everyone around here is very nice, and though they speak very little english, and we speak too little Japanese, the residents in Togane are very friendly and eager to help.
That's it for now, I'll post again later!
Starting with a follow up to my last post. Somehow I've managed to end up in the A class, which means me and 9 others will follow a schedule that will be slightly more difficult than the rest of the guys. I'm not sure I can manage to keep up, but I'll certainly do my best. The 4 other guys who live in the same dorm as me have also ended up in the same class, so I'm sure we will study together regularly.
The teachers seem nice, but we've only had one introductory class so I don't know yet how difficult the classes will be. Bit I've browsed through the books we will be using and I noticed that the first chapter at least will be partly repetition of stuff we learned last year.
I've gone into tokyo twice with the 4 others living at my dorm (Bjørn, Joachim, Karianne and Lorenzo). The first time was to go into Akihabara (electric town) to look for a mac for Karianne, and cool gadgets for the rest of us :) It was a fun trip, though the highlight of the day was when we decided to go to a cafe for a cold drink.
We'd been handed out a flyer earlier, for something called MaiDreams, which boasted pictures of pretty girls in maid outfits on it. The guys being in the majority, we ended up going there; needless to say I was more than slightly sceptical of the whole idea.
We took an elevator up to the fourth floor, and as the doors opened with a cheerful ding we walked into what can only be described as a mix of barbie's playhouse and every boys upost fantasy. The room was all plastic, and everything was white and pink. The second the door opened we were assaulted by a loud "IRRASHAIMASEEEEE" from three girls in maidoutfits, screeching their welcome at the top of their lungs in a pitch high enough for bats to pick up.
We were guided to our table by a young maid whose shoes seemed three numbers too large, in a dress three numbers too small, and wearing more plastic accessories than the whole of the 80's combined couldn't compete with.
We ordered some drinks only, as all the food had cute little faces painted on them and we just couldn't bring ourselves to eat them. As the maid returned with our drinks, she also brought a plastic sheet, from which she read loudly in a heavy-accented voice. Turns out there was a special ceremony that came with buying drinks in this place, and I'm still suriprised we did it, though we've had some good laugh of it since. The ritual went as follows; we made a heart shape with our hands, and while moving it around we sang "One, two three: MAKE FOOD DELICIOUS!", immediately followed by a substantial amount of cheering and clapping. Sadly we missed the two middleaged men in suits on the next table performing the same song.
After we had finished our drinks (we opted not to buy pictures of the maids), we somewhat sheepishly made our escape, with the sound of "Sayonara, master!" guiding us out.
Our next trip to Tokyo was yesterday, when we decided to go see the Imperial East Gardens, an open part of the park surrounding the Imperial estate. However, it turned out that the park was closed on sundays (whut?), and so were the ones in the viscinity. So instead we decided to go to Shinjuku to watch the kids prance around in the latest fashion, and to maybe do some shopping ourselves. In unbridled optimism, and perhaps in a slightly skewed perception of our physical condition we decided to walk. Turns out it wasn't as short a walk as it seemed on the map, and the blazing sun didn't help. It was a nice walk though, surprisingly considering how close we were to a freeway. We followed a rive for a large part of the walk, and most of the time there were plenty of trees and greenery along the path.
After arriving in Shinjuku we spent some time just walking around and enjoying the sight of the crowds and the architecture. We also spent some time in various arcades, in one of which I was beaten the crap out of in Tekken 6 by some Japanese guy, who had probably lived in that arcade for most of his life. No, I'm not a sore looser :P
Twelve hours after we left home, we returned to our appartments, tired and slightly sunburned, but on the whole pleased with our excursion :)
In other news; we still have no internet, so I'm leeching off the wireless network of one of the neighbours. The signal is poor to say the least, so I leave it alone apart from writing the odd mail and sometimes talking to des on skype. Writing this post I have to constantly save my work, in case I get disconnected, which happens depressingly often. I also look forward to being able to getting up to speed on tv-shows that are not all in Japanese (though I do watch japanese tv alot).
We also don't have bikes yet, which sucks considering the distance in Togane. Add humidity and heat, and shopping for grocieries can sometimes be a bit of a chore.
We tried karaoke on Friday, which was so much fun! I sang to my heart's content, and hardly had a voice left on Saturday. It's kind of dangerous to go there though, as for the price of the room you get free drinks for as long as you stay (and they're open to like 5 or 6 in the morning), and their oh so tasty mango drinks pack a serious punch :S
All in all I am happy here, though I do get the occasional pang of homesickness. The worst thing is being seperated from my husband; I'm still not used to having to be without him, and I miss him terribly. However it has gotten alot better during the last few days, as I have become more at home here. And I'm sure it'll help once I have a stable internet connection, so that I can talk to him more.
Everyone around here is very nice, and though they speak very little english, and we speak too little Japanese, the residents in Togane are very friendly and eager to help.
That's it for now, I'll post again later!
søndag 13. september 2009
Kjapp oppdatering :)
Hei!
Endelig funnet meg en internettkafe, siden vi ikke faar internett paa hybelen paa en stund enda. Kan jo surfe med mobilen naa og da, men det koster jo masse penger. Gah, helt haaploest og skrive paa japansk tastatur!
De siste dagene har naturligvis vaert utrolig hektiske :) Da vi kom av flyet bar det rettavgaarde til universitetet, hvor vi skulle faa omvisning og info og alt mulig. Ingen av oss hadde jo hverken sovet eller spist siden frokosten saa alle var helt herpa. Landa halv aatte og vi var ikke paa plass paa hyblene foer rundt 5-6, og selv da var det bare dusj og saa ut og finne mat. Var litt troett naar jeg kom hjem den kvelden ja x,x
Hybelen er ganske flott. Bade er lite i ordets rette forstand, men det er badekar der, saa jeg bader jo hver kveld foer leggetid :) Doen er for seg selv, og naa har jeg kjoept meg dopapir som er blaatt og lukter litt drue eller noe, saa naa foeler jeg at jeg virkelig er i Japan ;) Stua er i grei stoerrelse, med stort skap. Desverre er skrivebordet vaart lite, og stolen ikke mer enn en liten krakk, saa jeg sitter for det meste i senga (som er helt grei). I tillegg har vi en bitteliten veranda hvor jeg kan gjoere min lungebeskadigelse samtidig som jeg blir holdt selskap av den digre airconditioningmaskina. Jeg har ogsaa en bitteliten tv, som jeg bruker overraskende mye, til tross for at jeg ikke skjoenner noe saerlig av det som sies. Pretty moving coloooors :P
Nabolaget er stille og fredelig, og jeg har havnet sammen med fine og rolige folk fra klassen. Skjoent, det er ikke altfor mange studenter som er kommet enda, kanskje alle braakeboettene kommer senere :P Det er ikke veldig lytt mellom veggene heldigvis, saa jeg hoerer ikke noe til naboene.
aa handle mat er kanskje det aller mest spennende jeg har gjort saa langt, siden jeg ikke vet hva mesterparten er. Stort sett velger jeg utifra bildet paa pakken, og hvis jeg foeler meg eventyrlysten plukker jeg bare opp noe tilfeldig fra frysedisken. Jeg og naboen er noedt til aa dele vaar *ene* stekepanne og kasserolle, saa jeg tror ikke det blir rom for de altfor store kulinariske eventyrene. Men igaar kjopte jeg meg ijhvertfall en vannkoker, saa igaar kjopte jeg meg ijhvertfall en vannkoker, saa jeg har ihvertfall mulighet til aa spise nudler. Tenker kanskje jeg skal se om jeg finner en billig riskoker, saa jeg ihvertfall kan steke noe kjoett med ris.
Sann paa det personlige plan saa varierer det veldig. Igaar morgen grein og grein jeg fordi jeg savna Eirik saa mye, mens resten av dagen og paa kvelden gikk det fint. Det kommer og gaar, men jeg merker at jeg ikke kan stoppe og tenke paa dere der hjemme, for da kommer taarene. Men saa lenge jeg har noe aa fokusere paa saa gaar det greit, og jeg regner med at det blir bedre etterhvert, og ihvertfall naar jeg faar eget nett.
Spraaklig saa forstaar jeg overraskende mye av det som blir sagt, ihvertfall meningen om ikke alle ordene. Apropos det saa hadde vi placement test idag. Den er det meningen skal finne ut hvor mye japansk vi kan, slik at de kan plassere oss i klasser som passer til vaart nivaa. Jeg er spent paa resultatene, for som alle andre i klassen min kunne jeg svare paa kanskje ti av de aatti spoersmaalene. Men de som var der fra andreaaret saa like forpinte ut som resten av oss, saa det er nok ikke det at vi er spesielt kunnskapsloese :P Skolen er forresten diger og veldig fin. Har glemt igjen usb kabelen til kameraet mitt hjemme, og uansett har jeg jo ikke nett paa hybelen, men jeg skal sende bilder saa snart jeg kan :)
Naa skal jeg dure videre og proeve og finne meg en ny skoleveske, siden den kule japanveska mi knakk paa veien fra flyplassen :( Og kanskje ogsaa et askebeger slik at jeg kan oppgradere fra den litt ekle vannflasken jeg bruker naa. Var forsaavidt veldig spennende aa proeve aa faa kommet til en pc paa dette stedet, da de skulle ha all mulig adresse, og de i tillegg snakket suuuuperfort :S Men det gikk jo paa et vis.
Fra naa av kommer jeg forresten til aa poste innleggene paa engelsk, slik at absolutt alle mine venner kan foelge med paa hva jeg foretar meg ;)
Endelig funnet meg en internettkafe, siden vi ikke faar internett paa hybelen paa en stund enda. Kan jo surfe med mobilen naa og da, men det koster jo masse penger. Gah, helt haaploest og skrive paa japansk tastatur!
De siste dagene har naturligvis vaert utrolig hektiske :) Da vi kom av flyet bar det rettavgaarde til universitetet, hvor vi skulle faa omvisning og info og alt mulig. Ingen av oss hadde jo hverken sovet eller spist siden frokosten saa alle var helt herpa. Landa halv aatte og vi var ikke paa plass paa hyblene foer rundt 5-6, og selv da var det bare dusj og saa ut og finne mat. Var litt troett naar jeg kom hjem den kvelden ja x,x
Hybelen er ganske flott. Bade er lite i ordets rette forstand, men det er badekar der, saa jeg bader jo hver kveld foer leggetid :) Doen er for seg selv, og naa har jeg kjoept meg dopapir som er blaatt og lukter litt drue eller noe, saa naa foeler jeg at jeg virkelig er i Japan ;) Stua er i grei stoerrelse, med stort skap. Desverre er skrivebordet vaart lite, og stolen ikke mer enn en liten krakk, saa jeg sitter for det meste i senga (som er helt grei). I tillegg har vi en bitteliten veranda hvor jeg kan gjoere min lungebeskadigelse samtidig som jeg blir holdt selskap av den digre airconditioningmaskina. Jeg har ogsaa en bitteliten tv, som jeg bruker overraskende mye, til tross for at jeg ikke skjoenner noe saerlig av det som sies. Pretty moving coloooors :P
Nabolaget er stille og fredelig, og jeg har havnet sammen med fine og rolige folk fra klassen. Skjoent, det er ikke altfor mange studenter som er kommet enda, kanskje alle braakeboettene kommer senere :P Det er ikke veldig lytt mellom veggene heldigvis, saa jeg hoerer ikke noe til naboene.
aa handle mat er kanskje det aller mest spennende jeg har gjort saa langt, siden jeg ikke vet hva mesterparten er. Stort sett velger jeg utifra bildet paa pakken, og hvis jeg foeler meg eventyrlysten plukker jeg bare opp noe tilfeldig fra frysedisken. Jeg og naboen er noedt til aa dele vaar *ene* stekepanne og kasserolle, saa jeg tror ikke det blir rom for de altfor store kulinariske eventyrene. Men igaar kjopte jeg meg ijhvertfall en vannkoker, saa igaar kjopte jeg meg ijhvertfall en vannkoker, saa jeg har ihvertfall mulighet til aa spise nudler. Tenker kanskje jeg skal se om jeg finner en billig riskoker, saa jeg ihvertfall kan steke noe kjoett med ris.
Sann paa det personlige plan saa varierer det veldig. Igaar morgen grein og grein jeg fordi jeg savna Eirik saa mye, mens resten av dagen og paa kvelden gikk det fint. Det kommer og gaar, men jeg merker at jeg ikke kan stoppe og tenke paa dere der hjemme, for da kommer taarene. Men saa lenge jeg har noe aa fokusere paa saa gaar det greit, og jeg regner med at det blir bedre etterhvert, og ihvertfall naar jeg faar eget nett.
Spraaklig saa forstaar jeg overraskende mye av det som blir sagt, ihvertfall meningen om ikke alle ordene. Apropos det saa hadde vi placement test idag. Den er det meningen skal finne ut hvor mye japansk vi kan, slik at de kan plassere oss i klasser som passer til vaart nivaa. Jeg er spent paa resultatene, for som alle andre i klassen min kunne jeg svare paa kanskje ti av de aatti spoersmaalene. Men de som var der fra andreaaret saa like forpinte ut som resten av oss, saa det er nok ikke det at vi er spesielt kunnskapsloese :P Skolen er forresten diger og veldig fin. Har glemt igjen usb kabelen til kameraet mitt hjemme, og uansett har jeg jo ikke nett paa hybelen, men jeg skal sende bilder saa snart jeg kan :)
Naa skal jeg dure videre og proeve og finne meg en ny skoleveske, siden den kule japanveska mi knakk paa veien fra flyplassen :( Og kanskje ogsaa et askebeger slik at jeg kan oppgradere fra den litt ekle vannflasken jeg bruker naa. Var forsaavidt veldig spennende aa proeve aa faa kommet til en pc paa dette stedet, da de skulle ha all mulig adresse, og de i tillegg snakket suuuuperfort :S Men det gikk jo paa et vis.
Fra naa av kommer jeg forresten til aa poste innleggene paa engelsk, slik at absolutt alle mine venner kan foelge med paa hva jeg foretar meg ;)
torsdag 10. september 2009
Siste dag i Norge
Første post!
Da var det siste kvelden i Norge på en stund, og jeg må innrømme at det kjennes litt vemodig, selv om to gode venninner og en super ektemann har bidratt til at kvelden og pakkingen har blitt gøy, og ikke bare en sippefest :P
Merker det er skikkelig tøft å reise fra mann, kjæledyr, familie og venner, og sommerfuglene er store som skyskrapere, men jeg tror nok det blir bedre når jeg faktisk sitter på flyet og alt er i gang. Det er ihvertfall det alle sier ;) Uansett fins både skype, brevpost, msn, ffxi, facebook og til og med vanlig telefoni. Håper jeg får internett på hybelen ganske kjapt.
Har vært en spennende og hektisk uke, men nå er alt i boks, og kofferten er nesten helt ferdigpakket. Har vært en tøff prosess med å pakke for 5 måneder i en eneste liten koffert, men det finnes da tross alt et postvesen i Japan også :)
Blir en kort post sånn i starten, for nå skal jeg spise speltrundstykker med leverpostei til kvelds, ta et glass rødvin og kose meg med den siste kvelden med ektemannen min på en stund. Neste gang jeg poster er jeg i Japan!
Da var det siste kvelden i Norge på en stund, og jeg må innrømme at det kjennes litt vemodig, selv om to gode venninner og en super ektemann har bidratt til at kvelden og pakkingen har blitt gøy, og ikke bare en sippefest :P
Merker det er skikkelig tøft å reise fra mann, kjæledyr, familie og venner, og sommerfuglene er store som skyskrapere, men jeg tror nok det blir bedre når jeg faktisk sitter på flyet og alt er i gang. Det er ihvertfall det alle sier ;) Uansett fins både skype, brevpost, msn, ffxi, facebook og til og med vanlig telefoni. Håper jeg får internett på hybelen ganske kjapt.
Har vært en spennende og hektisk uke, men nå er alt i boks, og kofferten er nesten helt ferdigpakket. Har vært en tøff prosess med å pakke for 5 måneder i en eneste liten koffert, men det finnes da tross alt et postvesen i Japan også :)
Blir en kort post sånn i starten, for nå skal jeg spise speltrundstykker med leverpostei til kvelds, ta et glass rødvin og kose meg med den siste kvelden med ektemannen min på en stund. Neste gang jeg poster er jeg i Japan!
Abonner på:
Innlegg (Atom)