I'M BACK!!! \(^o^)/
I really want to apologize to everyone for the extremely long delay in journal updates. My last couple weeks in Tokyo were pretty busy as I prepared to move. Then I moved to Kyoto where I suffered from a definitive lack of internet access. It took me the better part of a couple months getting connected... it was an annoying and complicated process... and it didn't help that they made a mistake when opening a couple connections in my dorm... and by that time I just had so much to update and my classes were in full swing that I just had seemingly no time to update... but once I get up to date, It will be a lot easier. I've already uploaded some new pictures and there are plenty more soon to come! (.^_^.) well... here we go!!!!
Week 6... and the saga continues....
Monday, 9/4/06
Today was pretty basic basic day.... I mainly studied kanji and grammar points for my test on Wednesday since I'm planning to go help my friend go shopping tomorrow.
Tuesday, 9/5/06
After class I went to Harajuku to help my friend Chris get some nice date shirts (he has a date tomorrow) He is apparently quite lost without his sister or a female friend to help him shop for clothes... so we did the thing that EVERYONE does at Harajuku... we bought crepes and shopped! I got this delicious peach/frozen yogurt/whipped cream crepe. It was delicious! All in all a very fun day.
Wednesday, 9/6/06
Today I had my test... it was pretty hard. The ways they ask you grammar questions is pretty difficult... it's kind of funny... the easiest way to prepare for these tests is to just memorize the examples, which isn't the most efficient way to really learn a grammar point. It's an interesting difference between Japanese and American education... Here in Japan, I feel that as long as you can memorize answers, you will do well, regardless of whether or not you truly understand it. Quite interesting. I'll see if it's just this class or if things are different in Tokyo.
Thursday, 9/7/06
I went out shopping again, this time to Shibuya and Harajuku. This time I picked out a couple things for myself. I got some really nice long sleeve shirts at this department store called UNIQLO. They are all really nice rich colors. (.^_^.) I also finally picked up a little change purse. There are a lot of coins used in Japanese currency, so you wind up with a ton of change all the time.
Friday, 9/8/06
Today was really really fun! We did another one of our culture field trips today. We visited an elementary school in Yotsuya today! The kids were very cute!!! We went there after classes. Once we got there we were split into three groups: one group did fun indoor activities such as playing with yoyos and making origami with the 1st and 2nd graders; another group did outdoor activities like unicycle riding and walking on stilts with the 3rd and 4th graders; the last group played soft volleyball with the 5th and 6th graders. I went with the group playing soft volleyball. It was really fun! The kids were amazed at my friend Ender's height (6'8"). On our way out he touched the basketball hoop and the kids got a kick out of it! It was really fun to play with the students. They were awesome! I have pictures up in my scrapbook if you want to see!
After the elementary school visit, we came back home to Kameido to rest before going out again. We invited our three teachers out to a little end of the term party. We got reservations at an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant in Shinjuku. The food was amazing!!! One of our teachers even got us a deal on the price and time! We were all stuffed by the end of our time there! I think we were trying to make up for the distinct lack of meat in our diets recently... heh... After dinner, we all went to karaoke! We had made sure to perform the song we did in class for our teachers! They thought it was funny. After we all parted ways, a couple of us still wanted to do karaoke, so we did a tiny group karaoke session in Kameido. With the right people, karaoke can be really fun with a small group! (.^_^.)
Saturday, 9/9/06
A bunch of us decided to have a geek-fest today... we planned a Red vs. Blue mini-marathon today. Red vs. Blue is an internet cartoon that uses a game called Halo for the animation and adds voices. It's really funny! I had only seen a stray episode here and there before today, but I really like it! Sometimes, you just have to nerd out!
Sunday, 9/10/06
It's a beach day!!!! A group of us planned a trip to the beach at Enoshima today! I have tons of pictures up from this trip. I tried the dish with an ingredient that Enoshima is apparently famous for: Shirasu Donburi. The special ingredient was Shirasu... aka liiitle tiny fishies! I have a picture in the food section of my scrapbook. It was good... a little salty, but good.
Chris brought his surf board on the subway and gave this beach a shot, but it wasn't a good spot for surfing unfortunately... The water was really really warm! It reminded me of swimming on the East Coast in America! I'm used to the cold water on the West Coast now...
After swimming, we hiked up Enoshima Island. We saw a lot of shrines and temples along the way. The mosquitos attacked us pretty badly at this point... (^_^);;;; heh... It was a really beautiful hike. On the way back, we bought little snacks at some vendors. I had a delicious little bun filled with red bean paste (my favorite! yay!) (.^_^.)
All in all, today was a very fun-filled day indeed! i was exhausted by the time I arrived back at Kameido... I got to bed right away and slept like a log! heh....
OK! Now, I know this is only a tiny bit of the mountain of uploads and journal entries I have to post, but I'm back on track now.... I will definitely add more tomorrow! I'm sorry that I left everyone hanging for so long!!!! m(_ _)m
Week 6... and the saga continues....
Monday, 9/4/06
Today was pretty basic basic day.... I mainly studied kanji and grammar points for my test on Wednesday since I'm planning to go help my friend go shopping tomorrow.
Tuesday, 9/5/06
After class I went to Harajuku to help my friend Chris get some nice date shirts (he has a date tomorrow) He is apparently quite lost without his sister or a female friend to help him shop for clothes... so we did the thing that EVERYONE does at Harajuku... we bought crepes and shopped! I got this delicious peach/frozen yogurt/whipped cream crepe. It was delicious! All in all a very fun day.
Wednesday, 9/6/06
Today I had my test... it was pretty hard. The ways they ask you grammar questions is pretty difficult... it's kind of funny... the easiest way to prepare for these tests is to just memorize the examples, which isn't the most efficient way to really learn a grammar point. It's an interesting difference between Japanese and American education... Here in Japan, I feel that as long as you can memorize answers, you will do well, regardless of whether or not you truly understand it. Quite interesting. I'll see if it's just this class or if things are different in Tokyo.
Thursday, 9/7/06
I went out shopping again, this time to Shibuya and Harajuku. This time I picked out a couple things for myself. I got some really nice long sleeve shirts at this department store called UNIQLO. They are all really nice rich colors. (.^_^.) I also finally picked up a little change purse. There are a lot of coins used in Japanese currency, so you wind up with a ton of change all the time.
Friday, 9/8/06
Today was really really fun! We did another one of our culture field trips today. We visited an elementary school in Yotsuya today! The kids were very cute!!! We went there after classes. Once we got there we were split into three groups: one group did fun indoor activities such as playing with yoyos and making origami with the 1st and 2nd graders; another group did outdoor activities like unicycle riding and walking on stilts with the 3rd and 4th graders; the last group played soft volleyball with the 5th and 6th graders. I went with the group playing soft volleyball. It was really fun! The kids were amazed at my friend Ender's height (6'8"). On our way out he touched the basketball hoop and the kids got a kick out of it! It was really fun to play with the students. They were awesome! I have pictures up in my scrapbook if you want to see!
After the elementary school visit, we came back home to Kameido to rest before going out again. We invited our three teachers out to a little end of the term party. We got reservations at an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant in Shinjuku. The food was amazing!!! One of our teachers even got us a deal on the price and time! We were all stuffed by the end of our time there! I think we were trying to make up for the distinct lack of meat in our diets recently... heh... After dinner, we all went to karaoke! We had made sure to perform the song we did in class for our teachers! They thought it was funny. After we all parted ways, a couple of us still wanted to do karaoke, so we did a tiny group karaoke session in Kameido. With the right people, karaoke can be really fun with a small group! (.^_^.)
Saturday, 9/9/06
A bunch of us decided to have a geek-fest today... we planned a Red vs. Blue mini-marathon today. Red vs. Blue is an internet cartoon that uses a game called Halo for the animation and adds voices. It's really funny! I had only seen a stray episode here and there before today, but I really like it! Sometimes, you just have to nerd out!
Sunday, 9/10/06
It's a beach day!!!! A group of us planned a trip to the beach at Enoshima today! I have tons of pictures up from this trip. I tried the dish with an ingredient that Enoshima is apparently famous for: Shirasu Donburi. The special ingredient was Shirasu... aka liiitle tiny fishies! I have a picture in the food section of my scrapbook. It was good... a little salty, but good.
Chris brought his surf board on the subway and gave this beach a shot, but it wasn't a good spot for surfing unfortunately... The water was really really warm! It reminded me of swimming on the East Coast in America! I'm used to the cold water on the West Coast now...
After swimming, we hiked up Enoshima Island. We saw a lot of shrines and temples along the way. The mosquitos attacked us pretty badly at this point... (^_^);;;; heh... It was a really beautiful hike. On the way back, we bought little snacks at some vendors. I had a delicious little bun filled with red bean paste (my favorite! yay!) (.^_^.)
All in all, today was a very fun-filled day indeed! i was exhausted by the time I arrived back at Kameido... I got to bed right away and slept like a log! heh....
OK! Now, I know this is only a tiny bit of the mountain of uploads and journal entries I have to post, but I'm back on track now.... I will definitely add more tomorrow! I'm sorry that I left everyone hanging for so long!!!! m(_ _)m