12/31/06
Last entry of `06, how exciting.
This has been a pretty crazy year, to say the least. January-March, I speant most of my free time sneaking into school durring 4th period and lunch to hang out with Newspaper class, that and working at mickey D's. Then finally getting to Japan, where my trip has been WAY off what I originally thought it would be like. First I had my crappy 1st Host Family, but no need to dwell on that, I've stopped caring about them finally after leaving a couple months ago. But then there is crappy 'ol AFS Asahikawa, after my president lady told me she refused to let me change host families, and then calling me a liar and made me write out and sign a contract that Id stop lying and wouldnt tell other AFSers, my America family, or AFS Tokyo my problems or complaints I pretty much ruined any respect I had for my so-called "councelors". So I havent really talked to them for a few months, or at least not about me. Plus in Novemeber my new LP came to my house to have a conference with my host family and I decided maybe I should confide in AFS and tell them my problems like you are supposed to, so I told her how miserable I am at school and all that jazz, and her response was
"hmmmm.... I think if you give it more time things will turn out fine"
Yeah, thanks for the wonderful advice, cause 8 months just isnt enough time, Im sure school will suddenly turn great the week before I leave, cause time cures all ills. SO that was the end of my personal relation with AFS. But I think Im almost over that too, I try not to think about it too much.
But then I have my current host family, who, let me first say, are really nice at times, I mean for Gods dake they took me to Tokyo, so yes they are nice and I cant stress that enough. Though the thing is I think Im getting grey hair or ulcers, or both from living here. They (about 98% host mom) are driving me crazy, and I cant stress that enough either. Every, Single, Day, at dinner time she HAS to bring up vegetables, which I dont have a problem at all eating, its just one time I said I didnt like vegetables too mcuh, which hey not many teenagers do. But I just said it once 3 months ago in passing. So now whenever we are at dinner shes like "I know you HATE vegetables, but i tried my best, hahahahha!!" and cackles for about 2 minutes straight, every single day. plus if we are at a grocery store, see vegetables on TV, one of her friends says a vegetable by name, she bursts into a fit of croaking laughter and has to say "oh Nathan you CANT eat that!!!!"/"waaaa, you would HATE that!!!!"/"look, LOOK, doesnt that look disgusting?!?!" and laughs like a maniac. Plus whenever she talks to anyone about me she totally makes stuff up about me.
Whenever her friends are over she has to say "oh Nathan ALWAYS says `oh Okaasan, this food is disgusting I CANNOT eat it, it makes me sick'"and her friends look at me with their smiles and are like "awwwww, really" and they all think its the funniest thing in the world. Of course whenever I protest and say your totally wrond I have NEVER said anything like that, they all just laugh some more like I have NO idea what Im talking about.LItterally whenever she talks to anyone about me she always as to say, in a nice way of course, terrible habits of mine, which ALL of it is grossly exagerated or totally false.
Plus the fact that she never listens to anything I say, or at least doesnt care what I say. Besides every day at dinner responding to her vegetable rant saying I dont despise vegetables, I have to say 3 times a week steak isnt my favorite food, after they jokingly apologize that we cant eat steak, and when I ask why they are appologizing to me, she has to say "you LOVE steak, thats why you HATE Japanese food!" and of course, the cackles. Plus everyother day I have to tell her I HAVE seen snow before and I HAVE skiied before, because she ALWAYS brings up that stuff.
And sometimes they are both just, well, kinda stuupid, sorry. When I first got here, they told me how much they wanna go skiing with me over the winter break, and they always do. So I say, ok that sounds fun. Then 2 weeks ago, they told me we were going snow shoeing, maybe, in January, and I say ok, that sounds fine. Then they have to bring up,
"we are doing that instead of skiing"
Since its their money and everything I say, ok thats fine, but then ask politely, why arent we going skiing? TO which I get the ridiculous answer,
"well since you're a southern person and havent skiied before, you could hurt your foot, and wont be able to go back to America", and they are VERY serious.
SO first off, I repeat that I HAVE gone skiing, probaly 8 or 9 times, which they dont respond. Then I say, well, if I hurst my leg, how would that hinder me incapeable of returning to AAmerica? And they only say,
"because your leg may get hurt, so you wont be able to go back to America"
SO I say, ummm... I AM riding a plane, not swimming back, so one more time, how can hurting my leg stop me from going to america? to which I get the same answer. Not to mention the fact that if we went over winter break, Id have AT LEAST 2 weeks of recovery time, and I went skiing sunday with Tara-chan and my leg is perfect. If they dont wanna go skiing, thats fine I dont care, its just that I dont wanna be given an idiotic response that makes no sense whatsoever.
So basically its things like that, which happen every 5 minutes, that drive me insane here. Like I said before they can be nice, REALLY nice, but Im sorry, I cant stand being with them.
Then there is school, Ill try to make this quick. So my first inling that I had a sucky school was when Tara-chan was saying his dad said Tara-chan went to the 2nd best school in the city, and I sai, yeah mine is like third or fourth, and hes just like, ummm... Then Donnie came, and she says our school is TERRIBLE, which it is. Then we have our ALT from America come, and he said that of the around 8 schools he visits in Asahikawa, ours is the most uptight and depressing. Then the librarian lady talked to me about why DOnnie skips about once a week, and I say that her, and I, dont really like this school, and we heard its a low level school. So she replies, that SHE doesnt like this school either, but it was the only one she could work at. And FINALLY, at the X-mas party last week with Sister Cities, Justin, whos and ALT, told us that, no offense, we go to the bad school, ranked 15 out of the 16 schools in Asahikawa.
Then on to my class, Donnie was surprised when she first came in to see my homeroom to get me, and she said,
"Wow your class really, REALLY sucks"
SO I thought, well shes a foreign exchange student, maybe shes wrong. But one girl in my class is in America for a year, and we talk sometimes on ymspace and stuff, so she told me how soryr she felt for me because our class is the one that they put all the bad kids ijn, and it was too bad I couldnt be placed in any of the other classes.
Yeah, so my schol really sucks and I hate it, but I AM glad that I know it sucks and Im not paranoid. I used to feel terrible, wondering how come I couldnt make things work and what was wrong with me, because my school was perfect, but thankfull, thats not the case. That and my home room teacher sucks to, he told me he wouldnt let me go on the ski trip our clas does in January, because, and I quote (he is an english teacher by the way), "eh, to... Neito...for class ski trip...you want to...eh to...go?" and I say, yeas I was looking forward to it and it sounded fun, so he says "eh, to...but...ummm...maybe...accident...and insurance...so I think...eh, to... you should...NOT go on... ski class". SO I say how I do have insurance, and have skiied on many occaisions, plus Donnie is an exchange student and she is going, so he says
"umhm, umhm, I see... but maybe...injury...so, I told Mr....Funikawa (PE teacher) that...eh, to... you will not, eh to. attend practice durring...PE, and...eh,to...no...Ski trip...you...uinderstand? how... do you, eh to..." So after I repeat myself again and refrain from punching him in the face, he just says, ok the bell rang, Saiyonara!! Yeah, I get stuff like that everyday from him, so whenever homeroom ends I try to leave quickly so he doesnt call me in front of the class to talk to me, whihc then causes the morons in my class to break into a fit of laughter. So theres school in a nut shell.
There have been some good things this year, I didnt really like Donnie at first, but Im SOOOoooo glad shes at my school, its slightly more tollerable, and we can talk about stuff. Plus since about November, Ive been having a better relationship with Tara-chan and Jessie, so thats good too.But without a doubt this has been the worst year of those that I can remember. I mean that in America, I was pretty privliged, and had a pretty good life, but here, everyday is a bad day, and the only good ones are when I get togethere with other AFSers. And in all the AFS stuff it sayd how you aill become MUCH more self confident and self assured, but my confidence and self assurance has gone down the tubes because Ive had so much dissapointment this past year. Im not sure if I regret this year, I guess I wont know untill after I go back to America and some time passes, but Ive decided that its just been a sucky year, and I could have done very little to change it, so that helps me not feel like the whole thing is my fault, and also when I get back to America, Ive decided not to wallow in my bad year and experience, Im gonna go see my friends hang out and be happy, Im not gonna let a bad experience ruin my life.
This has been a pretty crazy year, to say the least. January-March, I speant most of my free time sneaking into school durring 4th period and lunch to hang out with Newspaper class, that and working at mickey D's. Then finally getting to Japan, where my trip has been WAY off what I originally thought it would be like. First I had my crappy 1st Host Family, but no need to dwell on that, I've stopped caring about them finally after leaving a couple months ago. But then there is crappy 'ol AFS Asahikawa, after my president lady told me she refused to let me change host families, and then calling me a liar and made me write out and sign a contract that Id stop lying and wouldnt tell other AFSers, my America family, or AFS Tokyo my problems or complaints I pretty much ruined any respect I had for my so-called "councelors". So I havent really talked to them for a few months, or at least not about me. Plus in Novemeber my new LP came to my house to have a conference with my host family and I decided maybe I should confide in AFS and tell them my problems like you are supposed to, so I told her how miserable I am at school and all that jazz, and her response was
"hmmmm.... I think if you give it more time things will turn out fine"
Yeah, thanks for the wonderful advice, cause 8 months just isnt enough time, Im sure school will suddenly turn great the week before I leave, cause time cures all ills. SO that was the end of my personal relation with AFS. But I think Im almost over that too, I try not to think about it too much.
But then I have my current host family, who, let me first say, are really nice at times, I mean for Gods dake they took me to Tokyo, so yes they are nice and I cant stress that enough. Though the thing is I think Im getting grey hair or ulcers, or both from living here. They (about 98% host mom) are driving me crazy, and I cant stress that enough either. Every, Single, Day, at dinner time she HAS to bring up vegetables, which I dont have a problem at all eating, its just one time I said I didnt like vegetables too mcuh, which hey not many teenagers do. But I just said it once 3 months ago in passing. So now whenever we are at dinner shes like "I know you HATE vegetables, but i tried my best, hahahahha!!" and cackles for about 2 minutes straight, every single day. plus if we are at a grocery store, see vegetables on TV, one of her friends says a vegetable by name, she bursts into a fit of croaking laughter and has to say "oh Nathan you CANT eat that!!!!"/"waaaa, you would HATE that!!!!"/"look, LOOK, doesnt that look disgusting?!?!" and laughs like a maniac. Plus whenever she talks to anyone about me she totally makes stuff up about me.
Whenever her friends are over she has to say "oh Nathan ALWAYS says `oh Okaasan, this food is disgusting I CANNOT eat it, it makes me sick'"and her friends look at me with their smiles and are like "awwwww, really" and they all think its the funniest thing in the world. Of course whenever I protest and say your totally wrond I have NEVER said anything like that, they all just laugh some more like I have NO idea what Im talking about.LItterally whenever she talks to anyone about me she always as to say, in a nice way of course, terrible habits of mine, which ALL of it is grossly exagerated or totally false.
Plus the fact that she never listens to anything I say, or at least doesnt care what I say. Besides every day at dinner responding to her vegetable rant saying I dont despise vegetables, I have to say 3 times a week steak isnt my favorite food, after they jokingly apologize that we cant eat steak, and when I ask why they are appologizing to me, she has to say "you LOVE steak, thats why you HATE Japanese food!" and of course, the cackles. Plus everyother day I have to tell her I HAVE seen snow before and I HAVE skiied before, because she ALWAYS brings up that stuff.
And sometimes they are both just, well, kinda stuupid, sorry. When I first got here, they told me how much they wanna go skiing with me over the winter break, and they always do. So I say, ok that sounds fun. Then 2 weeks ago, they told me we were going snow shoeing, maybe, in January, and I say ok, that sounds fine. Then they have to bring up,
"we are doing that instead of skiing"
Since its their money and everything I say, ok thats fine, but then ask politely, why arent we going skiing? TO which I get the ridiculous answer,
"well since you're a southern person and havent skiied before, you could hurt your foot, and wont be able to go back to America", and they are VERY serious.
SO first off, I repeat that I HAVE gone skiing, probaly 8 or 9 times, which they dont respond. Then I say, well, if I hurst my leg, how would that hinder me incapeable of returning to AAmerica? And they only say,
"because your leg may get hurt, so you wont be able to go back to America"
SO I say, ummm... I AM riding a plane, not swimming back, so one more time, how can hurting my leg stop me from going to america? to which I get the same answer. Not to mention the fact that if we went over winter break, Id have AT LEAST 2 weeks of recovery time, and I went skiing sunday with Tara-chan and my leg is perfect. If they dont wanna go skiing, thats fine I dont care, its just that I dont wanna be given an idiotic response that makes no sense whatsoever.
So basically its things like that, which happen every 5 minutes, that drive me insane here. Like I said before they can be nice, REALLY nice, but Im sorry, I cant stand being with them.
Then there is school, Ill try to make this quick. So my first inling that I had a sucky school was when Tara-chan was saying his dad said Tara-chan went to the 2nd best school in the city, and I sai, yeah mine is like third or fourth, and hes just like, ummm... Then Donnie came, and she says our school is TERRIBLE, which it is. Then we have our ALT from America come, and he said that of the around 8 schools he visits in Asahikawa, ours is the most uptight and depressing. Then the librarian lady talked to me about why DOnnie skips about once a week, and I say that her, and I, dont really like this school, and we heard its a low level school. So she replies, that SHE doesnt like this school either, but it was the only one she could work at. And FINALLY, at the X-mas party last week with Sister Cities, Justin, whos and ALT, told us that, no offense, we go to the bad school, ranked 15 out of the 16 schools in Asahikawa.
Then on to my class, Donnie was surprised when she first came in to see my homeroom to get me, and she said,
"Wow your class really, REALLY sucks"
SO I thought, well shes a foreign exchange student, maybe shes wrong. But one girl in my class is in America for a year, and we talk sometimes on ymspace and stuff, so she told me how soryr she felt for me because our class is the one that they put all the bad kids ijn, and it was too bad I couldnt be placed in any of the other classes.
Yeah, so my schol really sucks and I hate it, but I AM glad that I know it sucks and Im not paranoid. I used to feel terrible, wondering how come I couldnt make things work and what was wrong with me, because my school was perfect, but thankfull, thats not the case. That and my home room teacher sucks to, he told me he wouldnt let me go on the ski trip our clas does in January, because, and I quote (he is an english teacher by the way), "eh, to... Neito...for class ski trip...you want to...eh to...go?" and I say, yeas I was looking forward to it and it sounded fun, so he says "eh, to...but...ummm...maybe...accident...and insurance...so I think...eh, to... you should...NOT go on... ski class". SO I say how I do have insurance, and have skiied on many occaisions, plus Donnie is an exchange student and she is going, so he says
"umhm, umhm, I see... but maybe...injury...so, I told Mr....Funikawa (PE teacher) that...eh, to... you will not, eh to. attend practice durring...PE, and...eh,to...no...Ski trip...you...uinderstand? how... do you, eh to..." So after I repeat myself again and refrain from punching him in the face, he just says, ok the bell rang, Saiyonara!! Yeah, I get stuff like that everyday from him, so whenever homeroom ends I try to leave quickly so he doesnt call me in front of the class to talk to me, whihc then causes the morons in my class to break into a fit of laughter. So theres school in a nut shell.
There have been some good things this year, I didnt really like Donnie at first, but Im SOOOoooo glad shes at my school, its slightly more tollerable, and we can talk about stuff. Plus since about November, Ive been having a better relationship with Tara-chan and Jessie, so thats good too.But without a doubt this has been the worst year of those that I can remember. I mean that in America, I was pretty privliged, and had a pretty good life, but here, everyday is a bad day, and the only good ones are when I get togethere with other AFSers. And in all the AFS stuff it sayd how you aill become MUCH more self confident and self assured, but my confidence and self assurance has gone down the tubes because Ive had so much dissapointment this past year. Im not sure if I regret this year, I guess I wont know untill after I go back to America and some time passes, but Ive decided that its just been a sucky year, and I could have done very little to change it, so that helps me not feel like the whole thing is my fault, and also when I get back to America, Ive decided not to wallow in my bad year and experience, Im gonna go see my friends hang out and be happy, Im not gonna let a bad experience ruin my life.