The most terrible thing has happened... my love of pictures has turned out to be too much for the blog. I have been working on a post for a while but I go to load the pictures and I am informed that I have used up all of the space allotted. My simple solution to this was to simply create a new blog. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Here is my new blog address: http://kianainjapan.blogspot.com
Sayonara from Osaka, Japan.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
A Day Of Firsts
ごめん (gomen=I'm sorry)! I have to have one more small blog about yesterday before I get to bigger post. Yesterday was pretty interesting purely on the fact that I had so many firsts! I've been in Japan for almost 3 months now and I just had an entire day filled with first experiences.
- I had my first full Japanese conversation over the telephone. I have talked to exchange students on the phone but that was always in English. Today I spoke with my host sister, Shiho, about our plans for the day and it was entirely in Japanese (Keegan, who I was skyping at the time, is my witness!).
- I figured out what bus and trains to take to meet my sister- normally my host mom sets out the time of my buses and trains but I did it by myself yesterday!
- At the train station I managed to ask a lady if the train was going to the city I wanted to get to. I couldn't tell by looking at her but the second she spoke I realized she wasn't Japanese. Still, we were able to have a broken conversation in Japanese and I found out that she is from South Korea, her dad is Japanese, her sister is in Canada (close to the US), and that she can read kanji.
- Walked to a DVD rental shop with Shiho and got a membership card. So now I can rent movies, go to the post office, walk home (40min), and go grocery shopping all by myself.
- Went to Makudo and got a BigMac meal- Shiho ordered for us. Then I went up and bought us an apple pie thing- Shiho said I did a perfect job ordering in Japanese! WOOHOO!
- Finally, I learned how to knit! That's right, at this very moment I am knitting a scarf!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Relax But Power!
There is a reason I have not blogged in awhile and a plan for an actual blog post. Until I finish it I will fill in some space with a post of bullet points on some of the things that I have been up to lately- just so I don't go toooo long without a post.
Sayonara from Osaka, Japan.
- Kindergarten and Elementary school were awesome as usual. At the elementary school I met Mike, the English teacher I helped, from Canada. We taught the kids the alphabet and lucky ended up knowing the same version of the song. The kids here in Japan learn a different English Alphabet song but we sang them ours just so that they could hear the difference. Mike kept joking that we must have both grown up watching the same Sesame Street when we were younger. Mike also gave me a really helpful website to learn how to write Kanji. I have been invited back to both the Kindergarten and Elementary school whenever I want.
- I went on a walking tour of Tondabayashi with the staff (and their families) of the Tondabayashi Language School that I go to on Fridays. It was fun to see all of the old architecture and the style of architecture around the area. It has so much history behind it! Then we had a picnic lunch by the river.
- Made Miso with my parents and one of Okaasan's friends.
- A couple of Rotary Meetings
- Had a "Halloween Party" and the neighbor's house with four young boys- a couple of them had a friend over too. They were all so cute, they dressed up while we sat and ate finger food type snacks.
- My class came back from Taiwan! My class was divided into six groups and each group brought me back a little gift! I was soooo surprised and thankful!
- I gave a presentation on Halloween to my English class and gave them candy.
- I went shopping with Shiho.
- Went to Shiho's school festival.
- I attended ESS (the English speaking club at my school)- we watched a scary movie, The Mist, in English.
- Went to Mark's Cafe and brought my friends Nachu and Junto.
- Mark is the Irish teacher
- Mark's Cafe is Mark giving students to opportunity to get comfortable around foreigners and practice English (there really arent any foreigners in the area besides Mark, Valentina, and me).
- I was the first and only student to attend the cafe last week and promised to bring friends the next week.
- I chose to bring Nachu and Junto because they seem the most interested in English and are both very easy going people that would enjoy something like Mark's Cafe
- This last Friday instead of having a Japanese lesson like normal at Tondabayashi there was a lady originally from Peru (who is now living in Japan) who came in and taught us how to make a Peru meal: Rice, chicken, and vegetables and a soup with different vegetables and ham.
- I went to cooking club for the first time. They were making pancakes and it was a lot of fun to watch because I have never seen anyone struggle so much to just make pancakes, but once they got a rhythm down the girls' pancakes turned out a lot better.
- I made an American meal for my family: Joyce Mace's easy barbeque chicken, my families apple and walnut salad, dinner rolls, and chocolate drop cookies! I had to go shopping, first time I've done it alone and I managed to find everything I needed including oats and peanut butter!
- I attended my first aikido practice. I am in a trial period right now where I get to attend the club the first couple of times to see if it is indeed something I am interested. If I choose to stay in it then it will be $20 a month, practice every Saturday night from 6:30 to 8:30. I had a blast at practice! There are about 10 of us, one other (adult) female, and a boy who is 16yrs old (the rest are adults). They are very encouraging and willing to be patient with me because I am a beginner and there is the whole language barrier issue- although there is an English teacher in our group so that helps a lot. It was funny because there were some things, like my lack of arm strength, that surprised them at how little I could do BUT there were also times where I shocked them by picking up a new skill so quickly. I got a lot of jouzu and umai (very good/oh my!). Oh and they kept telling me to relax but to have a lot of power.... hopefully I can figure out what they mean by this soon.
- The group asked me to go to an aikido performance to watch another school (slightly younger kids) perform. It was a lot of fun.
- Went and did Purikura with Mami in the few hours of free time while we were waiting for Jr. High School students to arrive at our school to go on a sort of tour.
 |
| Tondabayashi Group |
 |
| River we had a picnic by. |
 |
| Making Miso. |
 |
| Rotary Meeting. |
 |
| Rotary Meeting- poppin' the collars! (If you couldn't tell, the two Americans are on the left) |
 |
| Presents from Taiwan. |
 |
| Candy for my class. |
 |
| Halloween at my school- I had people coming up to me all day with their hands out saying trick or treat and expecting me to have candy for them. |
 |
| Lunch with Shiho while we were shopping. |
 |
| Things I bought when Shiho and I went shopping at Tenouji. |
 |
| Okaasan and me at Shiho's school festival. |
 |
| Otousan and me at the Big Dipper ice cream shop. |
 |
| Cheetah printed snacks that Okaasan got as a present from a friend who went to Tokyo. It had banana cream filling. |
 |
| Lunch from the school cafe. Left- doughnut with whipped cream, chocolate, and crepe on top. Right- rice, covered with egg (like omelet), ketchup and mayo. |
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| Present from a Rotarian. |
 |
| Peru lunch. |
 |
| Group that made Peru food. |
 |
| Peru lunch. |
 |
| Cooking club. |
 |
| Cooking club. |
 |
| Pancake! |
 |
| Okaasan helping me make chocolate drop cookies. |
 |
| American meal. |
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| Shiho being cool. |
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| View coming coming at the train station. |
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| Purikura with Mami (next years Japanese Rotary Exchange Student from our area). |
Sayonara from Osaka, Japan.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
I Am Not Always Climbing Mountains
Thanks to a certain friend of mine (Maggie), I have had Jason Mraz stuck in my head for the last week. Luckily it is actually meaningful and connectable to what I am experiencing.
The Freedom Song- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjTXosaNiCI
Living In The Moment- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUFs_1vKYlY
Everything Is Sound- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYBCiN401ds
93 Million Miles- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5WiqJFq2-o
The World As I See It- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjP7VTHUais
The last few days have been very relaxing. I have had most of this week off of school due to testing, I went in on Friday to take a math test but that is it. Next week my entire grade is going on a school trip to Taiwan so I will get that week off as well. If you know me at all, you will know that even though I have free time it is not going to waste. I attended kindergarten again this last Monday and I am going back tomorrow. The little kids are still fairly hard to understand but I was able to comprehend some of what they were saying to me, but it doesn't matter whether I understand them or not because they are just so darn cute! I also got another origami present from the security guard- he has some mad skill when it comes to paper folding. This time it was an entire jar of origami birds.
On Tuesday I was supposed to go help teach English at nearby elementary school but I ended up with some weird 24 hour stomach sickness and could not make it. I felt completely fine by Wednesday afternoon and even went on a 30 minute run in-between rain storms. My short term bed rest was good though because it gave me time to accomplish some things that I have needed to finish up with for awhile now- including reapplying to college for my deferral. Organizing my iTunes library was also on my big to-do list and I was able to finish that while I was laying around.
Since my week has been pretty mediocre I figured I would use this opportunity to blog about some day to day aspects of my life- the little things in life rather than the big trips and adventures that I've had. The easiest thing to start off with would probably be the food. Everyday for breakfast I either the Japanese version of Cocoa Pebbles or toast and pear slices, followed by a glass of apple juice. Lunch is almost always obento which is like a little lunch box- it is made up of rice, some type of meat, and either some fruit or vegetables. Dinner is the fun meal to discuss because I am not a picky eater and I will try anything at least once. Since I have been here for over two months now I have a pretty good idea of the food I really like and the food that is still a bit strange to eat.
My Favorites:
-Japanese curry
-Eggplant with melted cheese on top
-Japanese pears
-Fried Chicken
-Vegetables (carrots and beans) wrapped in pork
-Rice
-Fried Oysters
Some Of The Stranger Things I Have Tried:
-Tofu
-Whale
-Octopus
-Salmon Eggs
-Chicken Liver
-Squid
*I am also not a huge fan of anko (bean paste)- it is a sweet that they serve during tea ceremonies and inside of other little pastry treats for day to day snacking.
Another fun topic that I haven't gone into full description of yet (where most of my fellow exchangers have) is the driving. At night when you pull up to a red stop light, you turn your headlights off as to not blind the cars going the opposite direction. The scariest thing with driving is that some of the roads are so narrow because they were built way back before cars were around, when it was horses instead. These narrow streets really look like only one car should be allowed to drive on it but it is actually two way traffic! I have also gotten used to the driving on the left hand side of the road- I can now successfully cross the street by myself!
I have also caught on to some cultural things that other exchange students in Japan haven't. For example, the entry way to the house is for your shoes. You really aren't supposed to stand on it without shoes and you definitely shouldn't put you bags down on it because they see the area as dirty (you don't want to bring the dirt inside the house). Most of the other exchange students seem oblivious to this, so my Otousan was very proud of me for trying to explain it to them.
Major topic change, this year has really opened my eyes to how different places and cultures define beauty. Back in my high school in Northfield, there was a group that really pushed this topic of questioning how we define beauty, who we see as beautiful. The point being that we, as a society, have a set definition for what pretty is- which is unfortunate because we will judge people on how they look first then get to know them. I don't remember the exact statistic but at one point I learned that it is only a matter a seconds upon meeting someone for the first time before we've already unconsciously made a judgement. Anyways, it has been very interesting for me to come to Japan and be thrown into a completely definition of what beauty is. As I have said in previous blogs, foreigners are considered pretty because there really aren't that many in Japan (especially out in the suburbs where I live). Unlike the US, where there is a mix of different races, Japan is made up of mostly Japanese who all generally look the same (dark hair, brown eyes, all about the same height). To try to stand out from the norm people will dye their hair- I have seen many blond Asians and a lot of older women like to dye their hair crazy colors like purple or red. They also wear colored contact lenses and there are a lot women that wear heals for no other reason than to make themselves appear taller. Asian women are also fairly flat chested, so that definition of pretty isn't as evident here. Some things that Japanese do define beauty with, that would never occur to us in the US, are how straight your legs are. Most Japanese either have 'O' or 'X' shaped legs, and if they don't they show it off by wearing shorter skirts (longer skirts if you do). I am told that I have very straight legs. Another interesting thing I have been complimented on is for having a small face, that is pretty here. Along with big eyes, curly hair, and long eyelashes. The last major difference in what our cultures define as beautiful, that I have experience, is that the paler your skin is the better. In the US people always want to be tan but here in Japan whiter is better. It is interesting that people always want what they can't have- Japanese have naturally darker so they want to look whiter, a lot of Scandinavians have white skin but they want to have darker skin.
Going on my runs has become a pretty important part of my week. It is a way for me to not only get some extra physical activity but also have some alone time. Running up and down the hills around my neighborhood surrounded by trees and mountains has a relaxing effect. The temperatures have finally started to cool down so going on my 20-30 minute runs are more enjoyable now.
I have definitely taken advantage of the trees and the area I live in. I have had a couple of exchange students out to my house now and they have all commented on how many trees there are and how pretty it is. I am thankful for the fact that I can adjust quickly to new situations, like living in Japan, but with my friends saying those things about the area I live in I realized that I have definitely taken my good fortune too lightly. My neighborhood and surroundings are amazingly pretty and I am lucky to get the chance to live in a more "rural" area (by Japan's definition of rural) for one of my host families.
Almost everyday my homeroom teachers asks me how I am doing. He consistently tells me, "You must be stressed". To be totally honest, this is the most stress free and relaxing year! The last time I can remember being stressed was the first day of school and having to face the busy train stations for the first time. Since then life has been so easy going. If there is something that would normally stress me out in the US, like missing the bus I planned on riding to get home, now I have adapted more of "oh no big deal. I'll get there when I get there. I am in no hurry" type of attitude. It is amazing how hectic life used to seem compared to now.
Sheep are exotic here. Wild boars, deadly snakes, poisonous bugs, and lizards are no big deal to Japanese people but if you go to a zoo the sheep are exciting to see. Their exhibit is right in there, next to the camels and polar bears.
It might seem strange but I have two games that I love to play during the day. One is for when I am really bored at school. I periodically check the clock and figure out the times of where my friends are (college or on exchange in a different country) and wait for them to "catch up" to the date I am in- ex. Japan is the first to be in Monday, Taiwan will be in Monday one hour later, India three and a half hours later, France 7 hours, etc. The second game I like to play is for whenever the phone rings. My Okaasan normally answers it and whoever is with me, usually Shiho, we sit and try to guess who is calling. This is actually a really helpful way to practice Japanese because I have to pay attention to the form of the words Okaasan is using (formal is with someone important like Rotary and informal is with Otousan or a friend) and the words in general- trying to remember the vocabulary I have learned.
I literally make my bed every night. Never again will I complain about having to throw my comforter over my bed in the morning at home. Here I am sleeping in a traditional tatami mat room where I have to pull out a futon, comforter, and pillow each night to make my bed. In the morning I fold it all back up neatly, in the proper order, and replace it on the designated shelf in my closet.
The last topic I wanted to touch on is how it has become harder for me to define home and family. The way I see it is that I have two families and two houses. I have a dad, mom, sister, and brother that live in our house in Northfield but now I also have an Otousan, Okaasan, and sister that live here in Osaka (and a sister that is on exchange in Minnesota). To help explain this a little better I have a couple of examples of when I have struggled with this concept of two families (and struggled is not the correct word- having two families is wonderful! It just takes a bit of explaining some times). My first host family has been absolutely wonderful since the moment I landed in Japan. They have accepted me as their daughter and I have accepted them as my parents, my host mom told me right away to call her Okaasan (which means mom).
So the first example I have is when I was talking to my friends at school I told them that Otousan, Okaasan, and I were going to Nara. They got really excited and started asking me how long they had been in Japan. I was a little confused until I figured out that they thought my mom and dad from the US were visiting. I had to try to explain to them that I call my host parents mom and dad too.
Second example. I went to Mai's host family's house, she is the Rotary exchange student from England- we were supposed to go to Yoshino, up in the mountains, but had to postpone due to a typhoon. So instead we had a sleepover at her house. That night at her house I actually felt a little home sick, not for my house in the US but for my host family's! For the first time, in my memory, I felt homesick at a sleepover for my own room, my own shower, my mom's cooking, etc- and when I say "my stuff" I am reffering to the things at my host family's house. That was definitely a strange first and feeling to experience.
I hope this long blog helps give a little more insight into my day to day life and clarifies the fact that I am not always climbing mountains or visiting cool temples.
Sayonara from Osaka, Japan.
The Freedom Song- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjTXosaNiCI
Living In The Moment- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUFs_1vKYlY
Everything Is Sound- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYBCiN401ds
93 Million Miles- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5WiqJFq2-o
The World As I See It- Jason Mraz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjP7VTHUais
The last few days have been very relaxing. I have had most of this week off of school due to testing, I went in on Friday to take a math test but that is it. Next week my entire grade is going on a school trip to Taiwan so I will get that week off as well. If you know me at all, you will know that even though I have free time it is not going to waste. I attended kindergarten again this last Monday and I am going back tomorrow. The little kids are still fairly hard to understand but I was able to comprehend some of what they were saying to me, but it doesn't matter whether I understand them or not because they are just so darn cute! I also got another origami present from the security guard- he has some mad skill when it comes to paper folding. This time it was an entire jar of origami birds.
On Tuesday I was supposed to go help teach English at nearby elementary school but I ended up with some weird 24 hour stomach sickness and could not make it. I felt completely fine by Wednesday afternoon and even went on a 30 minute run in-between rain storms. My short term bed rest was good though because it gave me time to accomplish some things that I have needed to finish up with for awhile now- including reapplying to college for my deferral. Organizing my iTunes library was also on my big to-do list and I was able to finish that while I was laying around.
Since my week has been pretty mediocre I figured I would use this opportunity to blog about some day to day aspects of my life- the little things in life rather than the big trips and adventures that I've had. The easiest thing to start off with would probably be the food. Everyday for breakfast I either the Japanese version of Cocoa Pebbles or toast and pear slices, followed by a glass of apple juice. Lunch is almost always obento which is like a little lunch box- it is made up of rice, some type of meat, and either some fruit or vegetables. Dinner is the fun meal to discuss because I am not a picky eater and I will try anything at least once. Since I have been here for over two months now I have a pretty good idea of the food I really like and the food that is still a bit strange to eat.
My Favorites:
-Japanese curry
-Eggplant with melted cheese on top
-Japanese pears
-Fried Chicken
-Vegetables (carrots and beans) wrapped in pork
-Rice
-Fried Oysters
Some Of The Stranger Things I Have Tried:
-Tofu
-Whale
-Octopus
-Salmon Eggs
-Chicken Liver
-Squid
*I am also not a huge fan of anko (bean paste)- it is a sweet that they serve during tea ceremonies and inside of other little pastry treats for day to day snacking.
Another fun topic that I haven't gone into full description of yet (where most of my fellow exchangers have) is the driving. At night when you pull up to a red stop light, you turn your headlights off as to not blind the cars going the opposite direction. The scariest thing with driving is that some of the roads are so narrow because they were built way back before cars were around, when it was horses instead. These narrow streets really look like only one car should be allowed to drive on it but it is actually two way traffic! I have also gotten used to the driving on the left hand side of the road- I can now successfully cross the street by myself!
I have also caught on to some cultural things that other exchange students in Japan haven't. For example, the entry way to the house is for your shoes. You really aren't supposed to stand on it without shoes and you definitely shouldn't put you bags down on it because they see the area as dirty (you don't want to bring the dirt inside the house). Most of the other exchange students seem oblivious to this, so my Otousan was very proud of me for trying to explain it to them.
Major topic change, this year has really opened my eyes to how different places and cultures define beauty. Back in my high school in Northfield, there was a group that really pushed this topic of questioning how we define beauty, who we see as beautiful. The point being that we, as a society, have a set definition for what pretty is- which is unfortunate because we will judge people on how they look first then get to know them. I don't remember the exact statistic but at one point I learned that it is only a matter a seconds upon meeting someone for the first time before we've already unconsciously made a judgement. Anyways, it has been very interesting for me to come to Japan and be thrown into a completely definition of what beauty is. As I have said in previous blogs, foreigners are considered pretty because there really aren't that many in Japan (especially out in the suburbs where I live). Unlike the US, where there is a mix of different races, Japan is made up of mostly Japanese who all generally look the same (dark hair, brown eyes, all about the same height). To try to stand out from the norm people will dye their hair- I have seen many blond Asians and a lot of older women like to dye their hair crazy colors like purple or red. They also wear colored contact lenses and there are a lot women that wear heals for no other reason than to make themselves appear taller. Asian women are also fairly flat chested, so that definition of pretty isn't as evident here. Some things that Japanese do define beauty with, that would never occur to us in the US, are how straight your legs are. Most Japanese either have 'O' or 'X' shaped legs, and if they don't they show it off by wearing shorter skirts (longer skirts if you do). I am told that I have very straight legs. Another interesting thing I have been complimented on is for having a small face, that is pretty here. Along with big eyes, curly hair, and long eyelashes. The last major difference in what our cultures define as beautiful, that I have experience, is that the paler your skin is the better. In the US people always want to be tan but here in Japan whiter is better. It is interesting that people always want what they can't have- Japanese have naturally darker so they want to look whiter, a lot of Scandinavians have white skin but they want to have darker skin.
Going on my runs has become a pretty important part of my week. It is a way for me to not only get some extra physical activity but also have some alone time. Running up and down the hills around my neighborhood surrounded by trees and mountains has a relaxing effect. The temperatures have finally started to cool down so going on my 20-30 minute runs are more enjoyable now.
I have definitely taken advantage of the trees and the area I live in. I have had a couple of exchange students out to my house now and they have all commented on how many trees there are and how pretty it is. I am thankful for the fact that I can adjust quickly to new situations, like living in Japan, but with my friends saying those things about the area I live in I realized that I have definitely taken my good fortune too lightly. My neighborhood and surroundings are amazingly pretty and I am lucky to get the chance to live in a more "rural" area (by Japan's definition of rural) for one of my host families.
Almost everyday my homeroom teachers asks me how I am doing. He consistently tells me, "You must be stressed". To be totally honest, this is the most stress free and relaxing year! The last time I can remember being stressed was the first day of school and having to face the busy train stations for the first time. Since then life has been so easy going. If there is something that would normally stress me out in the US, like missing the bus I planned on riding to get home, now I have adapted more of "oh no big deal. I'll get there when I get there. I am in no hurry" type of attitude. It is amazing how hectic life used to seem compared to now.
Sheep are exotic here. Wild boars, deadly snakes, poisonous bugs, and lizards are no big deal to Japanese people but if you go to a zoo the sheep are exciting to see. Their exhibit is right in there, next to the camels and polar bears.
It might seem strange but I have two games that I love to play during the day. One is for when I am really bored at school. I periodically check the clock and figure out the times of where my friends are (college or on exchange in a different country) and wait for them to "catch up" to the date I am in- ex. Japan is the first to be in Monday, Taiwan will be in Monday one hour later, India three and a half hours later, France 7 hours, etc. The second game I like to play is for whenever the phone rings. My Okaasan normally answers it and whoever is with me, usually Shiho, we sit and try to guess who is calling. This is actually a really helpful way to practice Japanese because I have to pay attention to the form of the words Okaasan is using (formal is with someone important like Rotary and informal is with Otousan or a friend) and the words in general- trying to remember the vocabulary I have learned.
I literally make my bed every night. Never again will I complain about having to throw my comforter over my bed in the morning at home. Here I am sleeping in a traditional tatami mat room where I have to pull out a futon, comforter, and pillow each night to make my bed. In the morning I fold it all back up neatly, in the proper order, and replace it on the designated shelf in my closet.
The last topic I wanted to touch on is how it has become harder for me to define home and family. The way I see it is that I have two families and two houses. I have a dad, mom, sister, and brother that live in our house in Northfield but now I also have an Otousan, Okaasan, and sister that live here in Osaka (and a sister that is on exchange in Minnesota). To help explain this a little better I have a couple of examples of when I have struggled with this concept of two families (and struggled is not the correct word- having two families is wonderful! It just takes a bit of explaining some times). My first host family has been absolutely wonderful since the moment I landed in Japan. They have accepted me as their daughter and I have accepted them as my parents, my host mom told me right away to call her Okaasan (which means mom).
So the first example I have is when I was talking to my friends at school I told them that Otousan, Okaasan, and I were going to Nara. They got really excited and started asking me how long they had been in Japan. I was a little confused until I figured out that they thought my mom and dad from the US were visiting. I had to try to explain to them that I call my host parents mom and dad too.
Second example. I went to Mai's host family's house, she is the Rotary exchange student from England- we were supposed to go to Yoshino, up in the mountains, but had to postpone due to a typhoon. So instead we had a sleepover at her house. That night at her house I actually felt a little home sick, not for my house in the US but for my host family's! For the first time, in my memory, I felt homesick at a sleepover for my own room, my own shower, my mom's cooking, etc- and when I say "my stuff" I am reffering to the things at my host family's house. That was definitely a strange first and feeling to experience.
I hope this long blog helps give a little more insight into my day to day life and clarifies the fact that I am not always climbing mountains or visiting cool temples.
Sayonara from Osaka, Japan.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
I Climbed A Mountain... No Big Deal
I literally did climb a mountain yesterday, but that is jumping ahead in the story. I need to first explain about the exchange students that I have recently befriended and other mini stories from the past few days.
Exchange Students:
I will start by explaining my new friend Valentina. Valentina is on exchange through AFS (another big exchange program like Rotary) and is going to a high school right down the road from mine. She also lives 15 minutes away from me by car. The reason we became friends is because I noticed her on my train one day, foreigners are pretty easy to pick out. I decided to be the exchange student I am and just start talking to her. It turns out that she is from Switzerland and speaks Swiss German, German, English, can understand a little Italy, and is learning Japanese. Valentina is 17 years old (someone close to my age!) and arrived in Japan around the same time I did.
I also pulled the "I'm an exchange student and will talk to another foreigner because I can get away with that and not feel too awkward" with another girl I have seen multiple times at my train station. This time making friends wasn't so easy. I went up to her, greeted her in Japanese, and asked if she spoke any English (being that 1. while I am learning, my Japanese still isn't that great 2. Never sure with foreigners how much Japanese they speak). Her response to me was "No, Deutsch" and walked away. I felt a little hurt that she didn't even stick around long enough to try to converse in Japanese- but hey, I can't make friends with everyone. That is, until she approached me a couple days later speaking English and asking where I am from. It was a complete personality change! I found out that her name is Rose, she is 15 years old, from Germany (I introduced her to Valentina so they could speak German together), is through the exchange program YFU, and has been in Japan since March. We exchanged emails and I will hopefully be getting to know her a little better as time goes on.
Mini Stories:
1. I
ate whale bacon. It didn't taste good or bad, I was just kind of sad to
be eating whale- but the way I look at it is that it is something I will
probably only get the chance to experience in Japan and I will try
anything at least once.
2. I got to eat some snacks that I would eat at home because Shiho brought them back from her one month exchange in California!
3. Valentina came over to my house for the first time.
4. I got my first postcards from friends!
5. I gave a ten minute speech/power point presentation in Japanese, about Northfield, to my Rotary Club.
6. Met my next host brother.
7. Helped my class study for an English test. The pictures are of them at lunch and/or studying.
8. Had a class election for President, Vice President, and Secretary. One of the boys running is in my class (of course we all voted for him).
9. Took Valentina to do Purikura (it was her first time!) and then to a burger shop for fries and a shake.
10. I went to a violin concert today.
Mt. Iwawaki:
Valentina has a lot of time on her hands- her mom works until 8pm almost everyday and her school doesn't offer any clubs that interest her. So, we are both happy to now be friends because that means we can do things together. At Purikura she told me that she had been researching some hiking possibilities and asked if I would be interested in doing them with her. I love hiking and being outdoors so it was any easy "yes" from me. First on her list was to take a bus from Mikaichicho (our train/bus station) to a little stop called Kouso. From there we could either hike 3 hours to the top of Mt. Iwawaki or 90 minutes to Iwawaki Temple. Both sounded like a good way to spend a Saturday to me.
Of course I had to check with my parents to see if they were alright with me doing this. They were perfectly fine with it but decided that they wanted to go hiking with us too (which worked out really well because they know the area better than Valentina and I do- I guess they go hiking to this temple about three times a year).
Our Day:
10:15am- My family and I left our house to pick Valentina up (we would start our hike from our house, only an extra 15 minute hike)
10:30am- We got to Valentina's house
10:40am- Stopped at a 7/11 on the way home to buy obento
11:00am- Started our hike from my house
12:30pm- Arrived at Iwawaki Temple
12:45pm- Got to the log building that is near the temple that serves as an information and learning center. We ate lunch, played with some toys, and took some great pictures.
1:45pm- We left the temple to start heading home. We took a different, longer, more natural path home.
3:45pm- We got home.
*My Okaasan's phone counts the number of steps she takes and it said we walked about 17,741 steps.
Sayonara from Osaka, Japan.
Exchange Students:
I will start by explaining my new friend Valentina. Valentina is on exchange through AFS (another big exchange program like Rotary) and is going to a high school right down the road from mine. She also lives 15 minutes away from me by car. The reason we became friends is because I noticed her on my train one day, foreigners are pretty easy to pick out. I decided to be the exchange student I am and just start talking to her. It turns out that she is from Switzerland and speaks Swiss German, German, English, can understand a little Italy, and is learning Japanese. Valentina is 17 years old (someone close to my age!) and arrived in Japan around the same time I did.
I also pulled the "I'm an exchange student and will talk to another foreigner because I can get away with that and not feel too awkward" with another girl I have seen multiple times at my train station. This time making friends wasn't so easy. I went up to her, greeted her in Japanese, and asked if she spoke any English (being that 1. while I am learning, my Japanese still isn't that great 2. Never sure with foreigners how much Japanese they speak). Her response to me was "No, Deutsch" and walked away. I felt a little hurt that she didn't even stick around long enough to try to converse in Japanese- but hey, I can't make friends with everyone. That is, until she approached me a couple days later speaking English and asking where I am from. It was a complete personality change! I found out that her name is Rose, she is 15 years old, from Germany (I introduced her to Valentina so they could speak German together), is through the exchange program YFU, and has been in Japan since March. We exchanged emails and I will hopefully be getting to know her a little better as time goes on.
Mini Stories:
1. I
ate whale bacon. It didn't taste good or bad, I was just kind of sad to
be eating whale- but the way I look at it is that it is something I will
probably only get the chance to experience in Japan and I will try
anything at least once.2. I got to eat some snacks that I would eat at home because Shiho brought them back from her one month exchange in California!
3. Valentina came over to my house for the first time.
4. I got my first postcards from friends!
5. I gave a ten minute speech/power point presentation in Japanese, about Northfield, to my Rotary Club.
6. Met my next host brother.
7. Helped my class study for an English test. The pictures are of them at lunch and/or studying.
 |
| Seating chart. |
8. Had a class election for President, Vice President, and Secretary. One of the boys running is in my class (of course we all voted for him).
9. Took Valentina to do Purikura (it was her first time!) and then to a burger shop for fries and a shake.
10. I went to a violin concert today.
 |
| Yuzuko Horigome was the violinist- she is a very famous musician. There was just a big story about how her violin, a 1741 Guarneri valued at $1.2 million, has been seized by customs authorities in Germany, who are reportedly demanding 190,000 euros ($238,400) in import duty and possible payment of a fine before they give it back. So, the violin she performed with today was not actually her violin! |
 |
| Concert was at Lovely Hall. |
Mt. Iwawaki:
Valentina has a lot of time on her hands- her mom works until 8pm almost everyday and her school doesn't offer any clubs that interest her. So, we are both happy to now be friends because that means we can do things together. At Purikura she told me that she had been researching some hiking possibilities and asked if I would be interested in doing them with her. I love hiking and being outdoors so it was any easy "yes" from me. First on her list was to take a bus from Mikaichicho (our train/bus station) to a little stop called Kouso. From there we could either hike 3 hours to the top of Mt. Iwawaki or 90 minutes to Iwawaki Temple. Both sounded like a good way to spend a Saturday to me.
Of course I had to check with my parents to see if they were alright with me doing this. They were perfectly fine with it but decided that they wanted to go hiking with us too (which worked out really well because they know the area better than Valentina and I do- I guess they go hiking to this temple about three times a year).
Our Day:
10:15am- My family and I left our house to pick Valentina up (we would start our hike from our house, only an extra 15 minute hike)
10:30am- We got to Valentina's house
10:40am- Stopped at a 7/11 on the way home to buy obento
11:00am- Started our hike from my house
12:30pm- Arrived at Iwawaki Temple
12:45pm- Got to the log building that is near the temple that serves as an information and learning center. We ate lunch, played with some toys, and took some great pictures.
1:45pm- We left the temple to start heading home. We took a different, longer, more natural path home.
3:45pm- We got home.
*My Okaasan's phone counts the number of steps she takes and it said we walked about 17,741 steps.
 |
| Rice after it has been harvested. |
 |
| About to start the incline part of our hiking up the mountain. |
 |
| Last house before the temple. |
 |
| You can drink water straight from the little stream. |
 |
| Drinking natural stream water. It was cold and very clean tasting! Super cool to experience. |
 |
| Iwawaki Temple |
 |
| Massive trees |
 |
| My Otousan said that flying squirrels live in the holes. |
 |
| Otousan and me in front of the temple. |
 |
| View of the city from the mountain. The big white building is right next to my school. |
 |
| Log building. |
 |
| Super steep steps. |
 |
| Me, Otousan, and Okaasan. |
 |
| The pointy mountain off in the distance is Mt. Kongo- the highest mountain in Osaka. |
 | |
| Looking at a poisonous bug (we found one in our kitchen once when I was washing dishes!). |
  |
| A view of the mountain we climbed through my summer bedroom window. |
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