Nomihodai!

Everyone in our group, a lot of Japanese people, and myself are about to participate in a Nomihodai. What in the world is a Nomihodai, you might be asking yourself? Well, basically, it is all-you-can-drink for two hours.

Please pray for me.

A new place for making noise.

Japan is an extraordinary place for a Nebraskan. You cannot go anywhere and forget you are in Japan. The streets are incredibly small; there is barely enough room for one car, and when the street is crowded with lots of students and commuters, you can only imagine the pandemonium!

Tonight, I decided to check out the music building. We visited it briefly on the day when the four Japanese girls were giving us a tour about three days ago. It is the second floor of a decently-sized cafeteria. On my way up there tonight, I forgot about the never-ending steep hill that leads up to it. Did I forget to mention that Japan is incredibly hilly? We are talking San Fransico here.

Anyways, when I got there tonight (and caked in sweat, of course), there were a LOT of Japanese students playing instruments, and most importantly, they were jazz instruments. In one corner of the floor was what appeared to be a sax sectional, in one corner a drum set player (on the only drum set as well), various trumpet and trombone players practicing solos, and a student playing jazz piano on the ONLY piano. I was wondering if they were doing sectionals during a prescheduled rehearsal, and because I had a flute and obviously not Japanese, I knew I stood out like a sore thumb.

As I sat down and opened my flute, a girl playing trumpet started coming towards my direction. I was thinking to myself, "Dammit, she's gonna say I have to go." Turns out, it was was on the four girls giving the tour (Mizuho, I believe) and I remembered her saying that she played trumpet. So, I butchered some Japanese with her, asking her if it is OK if I play my flute, and she said it was no problem at all. I really wanted to play piano and write some music, but that dude was still playing some jazz, so I thought I would kill time on the flute. So, while everyone played jazz, I was playing French Baroque flute music :)

After returning to the dorm, I tried studying, but instead decided to jam on my flue with Alana on guitar. It was fun, and she is pretty good at guitar. Then, I checked out Paul's newly acquired Shamisen, and even dabbled on that for a bit. All-in-all, a good day indeed! We didn't have business or culture class today, but instead had a brief home-stay orientation. The orientation lady was speaking only in Japanese (using easy words, but Japaneses none-the-less), and we all had a sheet of paper in English with what she was saying. Awesome realization occurred: I didn't even realize she was speaking in Japanese, but was casually following along with what she said. Then, half-way through the orientation, I realized that I was understanding everything she was saying, and I was all like DUDE COOL STORY BRO!

Alas, I cannot let this all go to my head; I have an incredible amount to study for, and have not been doing enough. Alas, it is only the first week, so I will give myself a little credit for the progress I have made thus far. But, pretty soon, I will need to hit the books hard. Until then, I'm gonna eat a little left over dinner and hit the sack because (surprise), I'm pretty exhausted. 

Also, shout-outs to Rachel, Miran, and Chris, because I talked to those guys today. Thanks for making me feel   THIS MUCH closer to home. Please, feel free to comment, chat, or email me whenever you want, and I will do my best to return the gesture!

PEACE

Not too much to say.

Hey guys, wussup. Anyways, it's been a pretty busy couple of days. I am extremely tired (as I probably will be every night), but I am happy because I will get to wake up to bacon tomorrow, so it is all good.

So, I made it into Japanese III, which is the second highest level class this semester. It is pretty tough, because the teachers only speak in Japanese. The class lasts for four hours. It is as long as it sounds, let me assure you.

My head hurts from speaking and listening to so much Japanese, which is probably a good kind of hurt.

I have lots to say, but to be honest, I am really sleepy. I have taken many pictures, and I do intend to upload some in the future. I will probably blog my ass off this weekend when, for once, I can actually rest. Peace out!

Hurtin' the Brain

At 9:15 AM this morning, me and my fellow compadrestook our placement exam to determine which level of Japanese would be the most suitable to our abilities. Last night, everyone was losing their minds; many were cramming, practicing, and just pacing around as if they heard another dai-earthquake was immanent. I, however, did not care; I was way too tired, and because I had studied a lot over the summer, I felt that it would be useless to study more (as if one more night would make a huge difference). Then, this morning, I regretted my decision. None the less, we made our way to the University.

I did not do too bad, actually. Towards the end of each section, I was simply just guessing/writing down random things because the level at that point was higher than my ability. Yet, I did not do too badly. However, there was one thing I goofed up on, which costed me around eight or so points. The second-half of the listening comprehension was in the true/false format. The teacher turned on the stereo, the friendly-sounding Japanese people would say stuff, then a question would be asked, to which we would circle T or F. The first question was already answered for us. For reasons unknown, after hearing the first question (which was already answered), I circled an answer on question 2. Basically, for eight questions, I was on answering on the wrong line. I did not realize my error until, when I thought we were finished, the tape asked one more question. I tried to shift everything up one line, but did not have enough time. I am assuming I got all those questions wrong now, but I am thankful that I did that for only eight questions; had it been for twenty or so, then perhaps I would have started crying.

The placement exam also consisted of an interview. This, hopefully, is where I picked up the game, because my interview did not go too badly. I was even making a little side conversation that were branching out from the original questions they asked.

Afterwards, me and Taylor went to Makkudonarudo (McDonald's) and decided to try one of their funky-concoction. I had a burger with bacon and eggs, and some weird white sauce. Wasn't too bad, but definitely won't go there again anytime soon; I am only in Japan for three months, after all.

The opening ceremony and tea party starts real soon, so I have to wrap up for now. I will upload pics soon. Peace.

Meetin' new people and further episodes of chillin'

Been a busy two days. Yesterday, me and my new friend Paul from Oregon went to Shinjuku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku,_Tokyo) and Ochanomizu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochanomizu). Before we left, he and I and a couple of other people were walking around the local train station grabbing a bite to eat. Up until this point, I have had a couple of opportunities to speak Japanese, and each time I could hold a "conversation" for up to, maybe, three-four sentences. I was just talking to Paul when he suddenly said, "Speak in Japanese." Throughout the entire day, I got to practice with him through speaking and listening.

I am extremely glad that Paul made me practice all day yesterday, because today all the students were split into small groups to go on a tour of the campus and of Kanagawa. My group, the smallest, consisted of Ben Norton (from Lincoln as well) and David from Ireland. Our tour guides were four girls, all going to Senshu. The tour lasted about four hours. And guess what? Yeah, homeboy got to talk a lot in Japanese today. I'm really glad Ben was in my group, because whenever I have a moment of "Uhhhhhh..." I just ask him for help real fast, and he is always helpful in that department.

Two days ago today, my Japanese was not so much terrible, as it was that I had no experience with actually using it in context (ie with other Japanese people in a conversation). After the last two days, I have become much, much more comfortable in speaking. Two days ago, I would get extremely nervous and flub everything to the point that I couldn't even finish a sentence. Now, the filter/barrier of apprehensiveness is almost non-existent. There are three guys from Ireland, and none of them are able to speak any Japanese. A couple of times today, I got to play translator for David, and one time for another guy in our group after the tour. The other dude, Taylor, told me, "Yeah, you should ask so-and-so this because you're much better than I am." Flattered, I was. But, true, I did not think so. Yoda, Japanese is like.

Last night was interesting. I can't remember how, but Paul and I ran into two girls, both from Germany and France, at our dorm. They are studying at Senshu as well, but they will be here for an entire year, and therefore live in another dorm. We mentioned that he and I, and a couple of other students were gonna go downtown and chill. They were more than down. We met the two, and another friend from Germany, at the train station, and once again Paul and I returned to Shinjuku, but this time with three European ladies. We had a good time. We ate dinner in Shinkuku, walked around, visited a Shrine, and then returned to Kanagawa and drank a little.

WHOA time to go; the Irish kids just announced they are going to the arcade, and they have been itching to go out for awhile (they went out last night as well, I believe). Time to chill PEACE

Update: Got back from the arcade. The party consisted of Paul, Taylor, David and Connor (Irish dudes), and two girls from Oregon and myself. At the arcade, you are allowed to drink and smoke, and the Japanese crowd are not a crowd to mess with. There is a Gundam-style video game where up to eight people can play, and it is an all-out brawl. The Japanese guys were getting really into it, in the same way Joe, Chris, Miles, Miran have been bashing it out in Melee. So, I played Bubble Bobble (personal favorite), R-type Final-like game, and Tekken 6. In Tekken 6, I played as Kuma (http://tekken.wikia.com/wiki/Kuma) and kicked the computer's ass. Then, as I was just getting ready to fight the next opponent, the game stops and announces that I have a new challenger. I look over the machine and a Japanese dude sits down, ready to kick my ass. And he did; he could combo like it was the end of the world, and poor Kuma took it hard :(

The Japanese don't play video games like we do. It isn't a game, but a way to prove one's honor. And tonight, I dishonored myself. However, I have three months to learn combos, so to all the Japanese Otaku's out there: GET READY

Le First Day

After finishing the final touches of my carry-on bag, papa-san, mama-san and I left their small house in Tabor at around 5:30am heading towards Eppley Airfield. Not five minutes into the drive, my dad hit a deer head-on, and poor bambi flew to the side like a rag-doll filled with sand. Saw the deer poke his head out of the bush and immediately knew that he was toast. Poor dude, but I also feel bad for dad, because the front end of his truck has been re-arranged, to say the least. RIP deer-bro.

By the way, I apologize for any sloppy writing or deviation from the main point of the story. You see, Timmy hasn't slept for about twenty-nine hours now. Everything is getting kind of blurry and funny.

So, after arriving in O'hare at 9 or so, I decided to leave the group and kind of wander around on my own. Low and behold, a Goose Island mini bar/restaurant appeared before my eyes, and I decided to walk in and not be a stranger. Besides, what says study abroad better other than getting tipsy at 9 in the morning at an international airport?

Sippin' on some drink, I'm talking to a gentleman from Alabama, who I must mention introduced himself to me first. Apparently, he just returned from Afghanistan. After asking him if he is in the military, he replied, "No, I was contracted at the NATO base there, the one that was just attacked by the Taliban." He said that the attack occurred thirty minutes after he left. He told me he was a telecommunications engineer, working with Bell South in Alabama and Verizon in Hawaii. Mysteriously enough, someone mentioned his name to Lockheed Martin,  was asked to interview, and eventually hired. He was sent to Afghanistan to look into building communications infrastructure or something like that (remember, we were both sippin' and chillin'). "I told them it wouldn't work. I told them that it would be unbelievably expensive and that in the end, it would be destroyed. So, I quit and got the hell out of there." As he was telling me this story, Prez Obama is in the background of the bar addressing the UN about stuff, evening mentioning that attack. The dude gave me his email address, was talking to the bar-tender in another language, then said to me, "Hey kid, nice to meet ya, my flight leaves in five minutes so take it easy." He took another swig of his drink and left. 

Then, I asked the bar-tender where he was from (it seemed like they were speaking Farsi or something, and he appeared to be middle-eastern enough). He told me he was from Palestine, and after a little silence, I mentioned that Palestine was on the track to being recognized as a nation by the world. He shrugged his shoulders, said "eh, Obama won't though." Then, he was talking about his home, Palestine, and Israel. Never in my life have I heard "Goddamn Jews" used so densely in a five-minute conversation. I decided not to interject, but to listen, because how often do I get to hear the perspective from a Palestinian? Finished my drink, shook hands, then wandered around some more.

Met with the group at Chili's, drank more there, wandered around more, derp'd at the foodcourt, and boarded the plane. Ladies and Gentlemen, 13 hour flights suck. They suck a lot. I mean, there are things you can do to make it easier. First, introduce yourself to whoever you are sitting by. Dennis and Doyle, eh, cool dudes. Dennis was an older guy going to Korea because his son is getting married to a Korean chick. Doyle, this 21 year old from Minnesota, was going to Bangkok to sub as an English teacher at an English institute his cousins started. Why get to know them, you ask? Overall, it just helps ease the stress, and now you have two new friends that you can bitch with. On the lighter side, I watched three and 1/4 movies: X-men: First Class, Bridesmaids, The Tree of Life, and the first twenty minutes of Mary Poppins. 

Let's fast-forward through the torture. I couldn't sleep at all, no matter how hard I tried. There were about two hours straight where I just sat, not listening to music or anything, and just let time pass by. It was hard to listen to music because my headphones are so crappy you can't hear anything over the engines, unless you crank the volume up too high.

Coolest part about arriving in Japan? When we were descending in altitude, you know, you see buildings, roads and cars and stuff. But every once in awhile you would see a Japanese-esque building-hut. Then it dawns on you that you are in Asia. (>'.')>

Narita airport, to say the least, was a little warm compared to the other airports. The reason for that is because Japan is conserving all the electricity they can during this time. In fact, I hear it was worse about a week ago, such as trains not being on a full-schedule and stuff like that. Eventually, we get on a bus to head to Senshu, and the ride is about two and a half hours. It was like another plane ride, except you can't use the bathroom. The sight-seeing at first was OK, but I got bored (did I mention sleepy) and took a nap for about forty minutes or so.

Let me stress that my mind is playing funny games with me right now, and has started doing so about half-way through the 13 hour flight. For instance, I would close my eyes, recant a situation that happened, and then all of a sudden reality slowly turns into a dream of fictional events that never happened. The weirdest part is that I am aware that I am dreaming, and then open I open my eyes and try to read some more Shin Chan (gracias Miles). On the bus ride, I closed my eyes for about 40 minutes, and when I woke up/opened my eyes (not really sure if was sleeping or not), I totally forgot my surroundings for two minutes. I just remembered that I was on a bus, couldn't remember why, and hey, I was content with that. Shit, I just experienced Stockholm's Syndrome I think. 

Then I looked out the window, and observed the skyline and tall, lit-up buildings of Tokyo. DAMN I'M IN JAPAN I TOTALLY FORGOT.

Sorry for the caps-attack. Got to the dorm, and up until now I was surprised with how much Japanese I could understand and speak. At the airport, I was talking to my new friend Nakano and was able to exchange a tiny conversation about my Kamekaze Hachimaki. Anyways, at the dorm (and this is all about a couple of hours ago now), I have met people from Oregon, Dublin, Canada, France, and Singapore. But, that might be a misleading sentence, because honestly, there are about twenty of us, not the shit-show I was making it out to be. I'm like COOL NICE TO MEET YOU GUYS but hey, we've been up for twenty-seven hours now, soooo...

Noooo...it's orientation time! And introduction time! But, it was fun, and even went to the local kombini and bought a fanta/fresca hybrid (pretty aweful). But, I am approaching the thirty-hour stay awake limit, and my computer screen is kind of spinning right now. Very slowly, but spinning in the tiniest bit none the less. It is 11:42 PM here, and 9:42AM in stinkin' lincoln as I write this. I'll take pics and stuff tomorrow, so ima shower and peace out.