Catching Up: So much...(part 2)
So being sick sucked but I survived. With it being a new quarter/semester I have new Japanese classes. Pros: I can sleep in on more days now. Cons: I still don't quite remember what classes I have each day. One thing I am not used to about Japanese classes here is that instead of one class you have many classes that meet once a week (for 9-10 weeks) that each focus on one aspect (grammar, reading, listening, etc). I was very against this format at first but have mellowed out. I still prefer the Japanese classes I had in college (with one professor you actually get to know him/her) but since most international students here are busy with grad school stuff they can't really make that much time to attend many classes.
Let's see...went to the nomikai by the Fulbright alum I mentioned before and got to meet many interesting people. I also met some current IUC students, which was helpful since I was able to ask for some tips about the application. Oh yeah, IUC is a language school in Yokohama that I am planning to apply for next year. It is a ten-month program and is one of the best, according to Americans. I think that if I stop Japanese after this year (will most probably not be fluent yet) I will eventually forget it all. Would be best to try and achieve fluency when I still have the chance. Apps have been hell though and I really do not what to think about it. I realize that I am lucky to only have to write one but I hate trying to sell myself to someone. You have to achieve that balance between truth and half-truths, cockiness and humility, and I absolutely despise it.
I then spent the next day touring around Tokyo with 3 other Fulbright people (1 current, two alums, one which was an 82-year old man who is amazingly fit for someone his age). We started in Asakusa, took a river bus, and ended up in Harajuku/Shinjuku later that night. While walking down Omote Sando Doori we passed by a store (Fendi, I believe) that was surrounded by people. Somewhat puzzled, we decided to push through the crowd to the other side. However, halfway through we were cut off by security guards who cleared a path for someone coming out of the store. While we were literally standing in the first row right next to the guards (who were trying to stop people from taking pictures) and could have reached out and touched her, we had no idea who the celebrity was. I think there were two people (both with red hair, if that makes a difference) and ironically, one of them was taking pictures of the crowd. That was probably the closest I will ever be to someone famous in the near future and I have no idea who she was, haha. For dinner, we had dojo, which are apparently small fish that usually live in muddy water. They really were quite tasty though.
Let's see...went to the nomikai by the Fulbright alum I mentioned before and got to meet many interesting people. I also met some current IUC students, which was helpful since I was able to ask for some tips about the application. Oh yeah, IUC is a language school in Yokohama that I am planning to apply for next year. It is a ten-month program and is one of the best, according to Americans. I think that if I stop Japanese after this year (will most probably not be fluent yet) I will eventually forget it all. Would be best to try and achieve fluency when I still have the chance. Apps have been hell though and I really do not what to think about it. I realize that I am lucky to only have to write one but I hate trying to sell myself to someone. You have to achieve that balance between truth and half-truths, cockiness and humility, and I absolutely despise it.
I then spent the next day touring around Tokyo with 3 other Fulbright people (1 current, two alums, one which was an 82-year old man who is amazingly fit for someone his age). We started in Asakusa, took a river bus, and ended up in Harajuku/Shinjuku later that night. While walking down Omote Sando Doori we passed by a store (Fendi, I believe) that was surrounded by people. Somewhat puzzled, we decided to push through the crowd to the other side. However, halfway through we were cut off by security guards who cleared a path for someone coming out of the store. While we were literally standing in the first row right next to the guards (who were trying to stop people from taking pictures) and could have reached out and touched her, we had no idea who the celebrity was. I think there were two people (both with red hair, if that makes a difference) and ironically, one of them was taking pictures of the crowd. That was probably the closest I will ever be to someone famous in the near future and I have no idea who she was, haha. For dinner, we had dojo, which are apparently small fish that usually live in muddy water. They really were quite tasty though.