On a lighter note from my last post, the exchange students and our Japanese friends/tutors gathered by our favorite river for a picnic...on the Fourth of July! We had soccer, Frisbee, and FIREWORKS (please note the title of this post - this is what that means :) Just so you know)! Small fireworks are sold in convenience stores (and probably super markets too, just haven't been to one lately to see them) here. In Japan, summer means fireworks!
So, we got our own set of fireworks and we had a ball. It was quite a hilarious scene. Our American pride and enthusiasm was a bit over the top, complete with cheering and screaming, "AMERICA!" Our friends from various countries had fun with it too. One of my Korean friends jokingly wished me happy birthday. I'm sure they thought we were crazy at least once during our shenanigans. But we all like each other, so it's all good.
Oh! And here are more pictures! If you go to page three, the newer ones regarding Independence Day start there. (It just occurred to me that I didn't get to watch the movie "Independence Day" this year, like I always do because it's always on TV. Thanks Will Smith, for being part of my American traditions) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037709&id=1230390045&l=88436beb0c
Well, it's coming down to the end of my adventure here in Japanland. I can barely believe it. June just raced on by without looking back and July is here. Finishing up the semester here. So far on my plate I have:
* A take home test for Art History (thank goodness! It would be impossible for me to take this in-class. Translating the notes and then figuring it out the material within the context is a mentally exhausting and very time consuming. The more time to work, the better.)
* A paper for Heiwa o Kangaeru (I will always remember this class and grimace...)
* Several tests for Japanese classes. Just had one of them today. It wasn't too bad.
*I'm done with Creative Writing! I handed in two chapters (16 pages) of my...novella? Novelette? It's definitely not going to be long enough to be a novel (it has no title as of yet). Wrote and illustrated a children's book called "Meet Polly: The Girl with Bottomless Pockets."
*One more paper to write for Japanology. The class has gotten more interesting. We've been watching videos about manga, robots and food. Totally cool.
--
My goal is to have as much fun as HUMANLY POSSIBLE (within reason) this last month (and of course, do really well in school. I know you're reading this Mom). I don't want any regrets (although I already do regret not going to Kyoto when I could have during the spring break...) because I don't know when I'll be able to visit my Japan again. I know I'll miss it here the moment I'm back in America. But I love and miss you America. I can't wait to come home.
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Blurp Blorp Bloop
Nothing really of awesome significance is going on.
I did write a paper on the differences between how men and women speak in Japanese for my partially useless Nihongaku class. There are certain speech patterns and certain words that are supposedly reserved for men (making them sound more assertive, direct, and sometimes almost rude) and women (making them sound polite, submissive, and indirect) and it's sort of a big deal if you use words that don't match your gender. For example, I couldn't get away with saying things like "Ikuze!" because the "ze" at the end of that phrase (which means, "Let's go!") is reserved for boys and men. Lame. Because I REALLY like male speech patterns and words. It sounds cool. I clearly watch and read too many shounen (young boys) anime and manga. I blame my brother for my tomboyish ways. With love.
Anyway! In regards to the limitations of how to speak depending on one's gender, things like that are changing, so that's not necessarily set in stone anymore. But sometimes, it is. It's very complicated...but very fun to research.
It's just about June. Crazy, isn't it? In almost two months exactly, I'll be home for a long time. I'll be (hopefully) finishing up my undergrad degree. Then off to graduate school. Yikes. Every time I think about it, I remember how much I don't want to talk about it, so I move on. Just like I will right now.
The other day I went to 7-11 with Elizabeth (we hang out too much, haha, we know, but we always have so much fun!) and as we were passing Fit Care Depot (sort of like a CVS...they often play really random music, ranging from Spice Girls, N*Sync and other 90s gems. I've walked in to hear some sort of hardcore gangster rap...also "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas once. That place is awesome. And the stuff there is cheap too!), a 10 -12 year old boy and his grandma walked out of the store.
They took a gander at the foreigners (that's us :p ) and moved on. Well, at least the grandma did. The boy had no qualms about looking over his shoulder every now and then to look at us. Several times. We laughed about it. We reached a point where we had to wait to cross the street and while we did, we noticed the boy and his grandma walking away along the street. Even as he was leaving, the boy every now and then turned to glance at us.
"If he does it one more time, I'm just going to wave at him," I told Elizabeth, almost hoping he would do it, just so I could do my thing. Elizabeth approved. And sure enough, he did. The moment he did, I smiled and waved and he quickly turned back around. I didn't catch him look at us again - so much shame. Silly boy.
Now that summer is coming, so are the bugs. Whomp whomp. Living in Maryland, interestingly, I've never had too much experience with cockroaches. Unfortunately, they are quite popular here. Elizabeth and I managed to use our Japanese skills and common sense to find some bug spray and we share it between us. It's supposed to keep roaches out specifically. I'm not excited for the giant death spiders to return (please refer to my first album in Japan to see what I'm talking about: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017965&id=1230390045&l=fe935f12ae ) Another friend has showed me the camel cricket that he found in his apartment. Not happy, not happy, not happy one bit. I hate those things. But the thing I hate the most, the very most, are centipedes. Their freakish limbs, their speed....just thinking about them makes me shiver. I will be praying that none come near me, my room, or the ENTIRE dorm (haha, I know I'm going a little overboard). And considering it's Japan, I know they are probably horribly large.
I'm going to stop talking about that too now, considering how uneasy it makes me feel. Isn't it sad that I'm the one that brought up the topic?
Here, enjoy some pictures to take out the horrible images I put in your heads. Or go play some Tetris. It helps, this proves it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8587000/8587211.stm
Silly things abound in this country
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038860&id=1230390045&l=c202a2f738
Covering a variety of sights in one day
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037709&id=1230390045&l=88436beb0c
Another collection of miscellaneous adventures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037709&id=1230390045&l=88436beb0c
By the way, for all of my readers, thank you caring enough about me to read my ramblings about this lovely fascinating I-will-never-fully-understand-it-ever country. I'll be soon home soon enough. :)
I did write a paper on the differences between how men and women speak in Japanese for my partially useless Nihongaku class. There are certain speech patterns and certain words that are supposedly reserved for men (making them sound more assertive, direct, and sometimes almost rude) and women (making them sound polite, submissive, and indirect) and it's sort of a big deal if you use words that don't match your gender. For example, I couldn't get away with saying things like "Ikuze!" because the "ze" at the end of that phrase (which means, "Let's go!") is reserved for boys and men. Lame. Because I REALLY like male speech patterns and words. It sounds cool. I clearly watch and read too many shounen (young boys) anime and manga. I blame my brother for my tomboyish ways. With love.
Anyway! In regards to the limitations of how to speak depending on one's gender, things like that are changing, so that's not necessarily set in stone anymore. But sometimes, it is. It's very complicated...but very fun to research.
It's just about June. Crazy, isn't it? In almost two months exactly, I'll be home for a long time. I'll be (hopefully) finishing up my undergrad degree. Then off to graduate school. Yikes. Every time I think about it, I remember how much I don't want to talk about it, so I move on. Just like I will right now.
The other day I went to 7-11 with Elizabeth (we hang out too much, haha, we know, but we always have so much fun!) and as we were passing Fit Care Depot (sort of like a CVS...they often play really random music, ranging from Spice Girls, N*Sync and other 90s gems. I've walked in to hear some sort of hardcore gangster rap...also "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas once. That place is awesome. And the stuff there is cheap too!), a 10 -12 year old boy and his grandma walked out of the store.
They took a gander at the foreigners (that's us :p ) and moved on. Well, at least the grandma did. The boy had no qualms about looking over his shoulder every now and then to look at us. Several times. We laughed about it. We reached a point where we had to wait to cross the street and while we did, we noticed the boy and his grandma walking away along the street. Even as he was leaving, the boy every now and then turned to glance at us.
"If he does it one more time, I'm just going to wave at him," I told Elizabeth, almost hoping he would do it, just so I could do my thing. Elizabeth approved. And sure enough, he did. The moment he did, I smiled and waved and he quickly turned back around. I didn't catch him look at us again - so much shame. Silly boy.
Now that summer is coming, so are the bugs. Whomp whomp. Living in Maryland, interestingly, I've never had too much experience with cockroaches. Unfortunately, they are quite popular here. Elizabeth and I managed to use our Japanese skills and common sense to find some bug spray and we share it between us. It's supposed to keep roaches out specifically. I'm not excited for the giant death spiders to return (please refer to my first album in Japan to see what I'm talking about: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017965&id=1230390045&l=fe935f12ae ) Another friend has showed me the camel cricket that he found in his apartment. Not happy, not happy, not happy one bit. I hate those things. But the thing I hate the most, the very most, are centipedes. Their freakish limbs, their speed....just thinking about them makes me shiver. I will be praying that none come near me, my room, or the ENTIRE dorm (haha, I know I'm going a little overboard). And considering it's Japan, I know they are probably horribly large.
I'm going to stop talking about that too now, considering how uneasy it makes me feel. Isn't it sad that I'm the one that brought up the topic?
Here, enjoy some pictures to take out the horrible images I put in your heads. Or go play some Tetris. It helps, this proves it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8587000/8587211.stm
Silly things abound in this country
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038860&id=1230390045&l=c202a2f738
Covering a variety of sights in one day
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037709&id=1230390045&l=88436beb0c
Another collection of miscellaneous adventures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037709&id=1230390045&l=88436beb0c
By the way, for all of my readers, thank you caring enough about me to read my ramblings about this lovely fascinating I-will-never-fully-understand-it-ever country. I'll be soon home soon enough. :)
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