A Late Post

(I wrote this about two days ago, but didn't have the net to post, now that I do I thought it'd be a shame not to...)

Hi everyone,

I’m in much better spirits now.

Classes today were good, and after I walked to the Seminar Houses. The walk was familiar to me, and made me feel good. The sky was also really pretty, so that made me happy too. When I get they they’d already begun cooking. Gita made the menu and it turns out she’s an amazing chef. Like if Martha Stewart was tiny, young, tan, and from Nepal. She made spring roll like things, salmon fillets and pasta with a sauce she made herself and salmon fillets, everyone pitched in money to off-set the cost and we should get a little bit back. It was all delicious and refreshing to me. Having rice as your main source of carbohydrates for a week makes you appreciate spaghetti noodles in an odd way. I miss tortellini, oh so good… okay anyways. It kind of reset me in a positive way the dinner. Having three and a half hours to speak English, relax, make jokes, and eat familiar foods really helped my mental state. It also reminded me that these people aren’t -that- far from me and getting to them is possible.

When I came home Okasan and my host sister were messing with the new router that arrived. I tried to help but there’s like four boxes and everything is of course labeled in Kanji, so I couldn’t really do anything. They never got it to work, but are saying perhaps tomorrow. After my shower I sat with them for awhile, normally I go downstairs and go to bed, but I didn’t have anything else to do and I need to really put forth the effort to bond with these people.

My sister said she could buy my other bus pass from me, that it was what she normally gets anyways. So then I’ll use that money and put it toward the new 26000 yen bus pass. I know that’s really expensive, but here’s my logic:

1 bus trip = 220 yen
Let’s assume that I walk to and from campus from the station every day. So then that’s two bus trips in a day.
220 x 2 = 440 yen
I have classes every day of the week (sadly)
440 x 5 = 2200 yen
But let’s also assume that at least one day out of the week I walk to the Seminar Houses from Campus and then take the bus back to the station.
2200 + 220 = 2420 yen in bus fairs a week
So then I’m going to be here for 14.5 weeks
2420 x 14.5 = 35090 yen in bus fairs my time here!

Even though the pass I have now will give me some discount it won’t be that much. Plus, with this pass I can ride unlimited. So I don’t have to worry about going into the studio to put in a little extra work. Or feeling guilty because I want to spend 10.00 to get out of the house for awhile and walk around downtown for a bit. Not to mention it saves me from constantly feeling like I’m going to DIE in the streets of Doom and Misery known as Japan… As a side note on this, one of my friends actually wrecked on her bike yesterday, trying to pass someone, hit a small curb (because there’s tons), and went chin-first over the handle bars into the pavement. She had a small concussion and doesn’t remember anything after that until she woke up in the hospital. Apparently it happened outside of a salon and the women inside saw the whole thing and called an ambulance. She had a CAT scan, and all kinds of things done, she’s okay, thankfully. Aside from her face being a bit messed up and her body slightly mangled, but thankfully nothing severe. But further proof that it’s not just me, Japan is SCARY for bikes!! Okay now back to what I was talking about… Plus, now that I’m really trying to make my host family work, it’ll help that resolve. I know myself, and if I spend the money I’ll want to make it worthwhile, so it’ll give me added incentive to make things work. I know logically that the host family is best, plus they’re really good people. The bus pass will help me overcome the loneliness and isolated feeling, and I will work hard to overcome the language barrier. I know it won’t be easy, but I’m not here that long, if I don’t try I think I’d be mad at myself in the future...

I also told my Okasan about this slang that the foreign students made. “Daijobu” is Japanese for “I’m fine” or “It’s okay” or “Don’t worry about it” kind of things. But the American students thought this sounded too formal so all of a sudden all the foreign students are saying “Daijobbs!” making it slang and mock gangsta, and it’s really caught on. I told my Okasan and she blinked, and explained that the “bbs” part of it the way we were pronouncing it meant ugly face! Everyone got a good laugh out of that. I made a mental note to not say it around a fluent speaker!

So tomorrow I’m going to get up, my Okasan went out of her way to find bagels for me since I was explaining how they were my favorite. So I’ll have my bagel (see how Japanese bagels stack up) and then head to the station. Me and about 13 other girls are meeting up to day trip into Osaka. We’re going to see Osaka Castle, head downtown to the beach type area and look around, maybe sing some karaoke? Just have a generally fun day out and about. I’m really looking forward to it. Some people were a bit nervous to not have structure, but a few girls have been before, and I’m all for kind of getting on a train and getting off and exploring for awhile. The Moroccans are fasting again (Those Islamic girls always are!) so we’re going to have a big dinner with them around 6 when they can eat and sample the local fair.

Thank you all for being so helpful to me. I really miss home a lot I think, more than I realize likely. I think I got upset because things were so different and I was coming to terms with that difference and the fact that it’d be that way for awhile. But I’m going to try to keep positive and be determined to make everything work, have a great time, AND learn a lot of Japanese.

I love you all lots, and I hope everything is good back in the states. Sorry for being a bit down these past few posts, but I have to admit it’s getting better… A little better… All the time!!! Buahaha, song reference from the future!

P.S.
The net is still messed up at home, but hopefully it’ll be up tomorrow so I can upload pictures!