| Getting a Job |
[Dec. 14th, 2006|12:17 am] |
With the holidays coming up and my bank account teetering towards $0, I've begun looking for a job. So far, I've tried to find an English teaching job, but that hasn't worked out so well. The way it works here is you basically sign up for a website, input your information, how much you're willing to charge, and the students find you. I have friends who have 6 students already this way, making about $20-$30 a lesson for just chit-chatting in English. While too have signed up for the site, no such luck yet with customers...
So I've turned to getting a regular part-time job! While I would make a lot less then my friends are making, in the long run working at a little mom and pop shop would probably do wonders for my Japanese. Just the other day I applied for Starbucks and the Gap (both with interviews tomorrow). Yikes! I had to prepare my resumes today, take a picture at one of he the many photo booths here, and go to the immigration office to get permission to work here (still processing). Either way, it was a whole run about but we'll see how the interviews go tomorrow.
For the time being, here's a picture of the Nagoya station when I went there a few weeks ago. Ill have to write about that later... there is so little time here!!
Enjoy~
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| Photo Update |
[Nov. 22nd, 2006|03:34 pm] |
While its been awhile since I've written anything here, I decided that rather then putting it int words I would go ahead and show everyone my experiences by picture. Below are a few shots from eating Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza like dish), a trip to Nikko (known for its amazing fall colors, waterfalls, and temples), and a few other foreign exchange students thrown in there. Here we go!
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| Packed Trains |
[Oct. 31st, 2006|10:56 pm] |
The last few weeks have been busy with school, going out with friends, doing homework, homework, and oh yes, more homework; it has left me very little time to write. Thus, I've decided that I'm going to just write about specific experiences rather then summarize my life. Today's topic is the train system in Japan.
First the good. I can get my from my house to school in a little under an hour (a 20 minute train ride and 15 minutes from each station), and to most of the popular shopping locations and clubs in just a few more minutes. The stations are all well equipped with uniform machines that let you in and out of the station by just passing your ticket through. To make things even easier, the JR (Japan Railway, they run about half of the railines all throughout Japan) has even created a prepaid card system that you load money onto and simply just swipe as you go through. You can keep it in your wallet and the machine reads the card, deducts the lowest fair from the departure station and the remainder at the station you get off at. Taking it even a step further, for those that have the cellphones with an
While amazingly convienient, on time, and takes you just about anywhere you'd want to go in just minutes, it is also the main source of transportation for the 30,000,000 people living in Tokyo. Since my station is rather far from the main lines, there are a few different types of trains I can take to get there. While its the same line, it's divided up into 4 types: Kakueki (every station), Kyuukou (express), Junkou (Limited Express) and Keikou (Express Express?). I normally take the Kyuukou because it only makes 3 stops (one being my station and takadanobaba where I get off for school and to transfer to the other main lines) and takes only 17 minutes; or I take the Junkou which takes about 20 minutes. The Junkou makes 3 extra stops and it doesnt take too long.
On mornings when I have class beginning at 9 Im usually stuck with the morning commuters in an event that is called "Manin Densha", a train filled to capacity. This literally means that we are packed into the train cars like sardeens, faces pressed up against the glass, and arm and a leg here and there, and of course, my head sticking out above the crowd. It could be 10 degress celcius outside but hotter then a sauna in the car. Let me tell you, that 17 minute train ride fells more like an hour and I get off of the train sweating more then after an hour long workout. And heading home is the same thing for the most part, even at 11 o'clock at night. Since my line is the only one that goes out to that part of town, from 5pm on its busy and only gets busier as the night wears on and drunk salarymen are stumbling on and off the train trying to get home at a reasonable time.
Either way you look at it, there are pros and cons. But I think in this case, the pros outweigh the cons and I think Im going to have a hard time going back to the states and just taking the bus again. Im gonna miss you densha~ Glad I still have a good 8 months or so left. =)
Until next time~ |
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| Classes have begun |
[Oct. 4th, 2006|12:18 am] |
As of Monday, October 2nd, classes at Waseda University have begun for the SP3 students. What’s SP3 you ask? SP3 is one of the 4 types of students in the SILS department (the section where we foreign exchange students are placed). SP1 students are regular Japanese students studying in the department, SP2 are international students studying for 4 years at Waseda, SP3 (my group) are 1 year foreign exchange students, and SP4 students are in a 3 month intensive Japanese Language program here at Waseda. All students in SILS (I forget what it stands for exactly, but its something international) choose from the same classes. So students in the SP3 program take classes along side with SP1 and SP2 students, however the SP4 students take different classes because their program is shorter.
So how is it that regular Japanese students take classes with students who come from all over the world that speaking other languages? Simple. All the classes are taught in English! Thats the beauty of it. And get this, many of the Japanese students have lived elsewhere in their childhood and speak French, Spanish, German, Chinese, etc as well as English. For those who have not, they had to pass a test that proved that they had a minimum English capability for the system, but once they past that (and can pay the tuition), they are in.
While classes have only begun, it looks like a very fun and interesting year. Ill try my best to keep this updated, but lately its been getting harder and harder to do so. Wish me luck! |
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| The Nearby Park & The S |
[Sep. 24th, 2006|02:30 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | 西東京市芝久保町 | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | creative | ] |
Over the last few days, full of drinking and going out of course, have also been full of time with my host family, shopping around the city, and even visiting a local park. Now I was told before leaving that Japan has very little open land, such as parks or things of the like. However, about a 10 minute bike ride away from my house, one can find a very spacious, sprawling park. If you look at the following pictures you will see that it truly does not look like I'm somewhere in Japan at all (except for all the people everywhere). There is plenty of space to ride your bike, go for a jog, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a volleyball center, a snack area, a place to let your dogs off their leash and run about, and much much more. Oh~ I can't wait to buy some good running shoes. Well, here are the pictures.
Another major event that has happend recently is that the foreign exchange students (myself included) were taken to the Ghibili Museum here in Tokyo just the other day. For those who don't know, Ghibili can somewhat be refered to as the Disney of Japan. Just about everyone knows the stories and the music is always top notch. The museum was a blast, but we could only take pictures outside of the building but here you go. By the way, the one of the fountain was taken with my cell phone! I love this machine! It has a 2megapixel camera, the same thing as my old digital camera!
While I haven't had too much time to write lately, I plan on writing some more this following week. School is starting soon and hopefully things will begin to cool down then. As much as I like going out and exploring the city, I need to start focusing on my studies and improve my language skills. Until next time~ |
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| Sightseeing and Pictures |
[Sep. 17th, 2006|09:26 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Nishi-Tokyo | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | creative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Hamasaki Ayumi - Rainbow | ] |
These last few days since arriving have been full of excitement, moving about, and of course brushing up on my Japanese. Where to begin.... Well since my arrival, there has basically been drinking every night except for last night. Whether it be just a beer with my host father, which I'll get more into in just a moment, or it has been with the other students from Waseda at their drinking parties. I had heard that drinking was a big part of the culture but its been almost, well... overwhelming.
Just for the heck of it, here's a pic from one of the parties.
I was glad that I didn't drink last night for once. I don't see how other students in the US do it every night and still manage to go to class the next day. At least here, most restaurants and bars close at 10 or 11 and everybody heads home at a decent time to get their next day going.
Anywho, back to the title at hand.
Above is a picture of one of the last remaining original castles left in Japan. The rest unfortunately are all replicas except for the one in tokyo (since it was only built about 100 years ago) and another one in Kyoto. Ill get the names later for you all. I don't know if the castle is actually being used now or not, but you can't go past the bridge. They barricaded it off but we did the tourist thing and just took a bunch of pictures.
This here is a picture of me in front of the Meiji Jinja in Tokyo. It's a really beautiful area and very vast and deep. It's about a half mile walk just to get to the temple itself from the gate. But once you get to the grounds though, its quite breathtaking. There is a place where you can buy charms, buy a wooden plack to make a prayer on, and another area to make prayers at. I bought a phone strap charm at the mamori stand and plan to use it once i get a cell phone. For the wooden placks, once you write your prayer on it, you hang it on a shelf that they have there and we were suprised to see them not only in Japanese, but written in English, Spanish, French, German, Korean, Chinese, etc. It kind of made you realize that Japan is becoming more and more of an international country.
Moving onto Harajuku, the land of clothes and trendy people. The picture below is a band playing in front of the Harajuku Station. After a brief stop there, we headed towards Shinjuku. Some of the following pictures include some of the building and the bottom of a department store.
I had heard that the public transportation system here was good, but I would have never imagined it to be this good. You literally just buy your ticket (about $1.50 whereever you go) and board the next train that comes your way. While there are several lines and different directions, its still fairly easy to figure out. I love this city!
Yesterday, I got go to Harajuku again and to Shibuya. When we arrived at Shibuya I knew it would be busy, but not THAT busy. There was an awfully huge crowd and what appeared to be a demonstration going on. We soon found out that the soon to be next primeminister of Japan was actually running a campaign and would be there shortly. After wondering about a few stores we headed back in time to see him and here he is below.
Its a bit hard to see him and I can't zoom in with my camera, so I'm glad I'm finally going to go buy a new one pretty soon. Yay~
After the first 3 days, I finally got to meet my host family and moved in with them. The family goes as follows: Dad, Mom, Sister, and Brother. Dad runs a Tommy Hilfeiger store in a city about 2 hours away from Tokyo and only comes home on the weekends, but came to greet me when I moved in. Mom works as a cram school teacher and had work in the evenings and sometimes the afternoons. Sister is 25 and works for a company that does just about well... everything. Her division is selling energy and Brother works for a different company and lives in Oosaka, another city about 2 hours away. They have all welcomed me into their home and I will definately have to write about the place in my next entry. But for now, I will leave you all with a few pictures of my local area. Enjoy and I hope to write again shortly.
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| I Have Arrived |
[Sep. 13th, 2006|05:24 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Tokyo, Japan | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  excited | ] |
| [ | music |
| | My computer humming | ] |
Well folks, I finally made it.
I am now here in Japan, sitting in my hotel room at 5:30 in the morning writing an entry because aside from the fact that I need to start writing more, I am experiencing what is called Jet lag.
I've never had it before but it hasn't been that bad. I simply just woke up at 3:00 in the morning and haven't been able to go back to sleep since then.
Anywho, back to the point of this entry... I'm here in Japan!
My flight came in almost an hour early yesterday, arriving in Narita Airport at approximately 3pm local time. After getting off the plane, I went down to the baggage claim to pick up my luggage and proceeded through customs. When I got through from there, I was greeted by Takako, her daughter, and members of the Waseda International Club to help greet students from the CSU program and met up with some of the other students who had just arrived as well. As it turns out, the person sitting in front of me on the plane and the guy who I stood behind in line while checking in my bags in the states, are both in the program. After about a half hour of mingling, more students from the last flight came in and we all gathered our stuff to head out to the bus.
To our suprise, it had started raining and according to the weather forecast this morning, its going to be this way for awhile.
After a 2 hour bus ride from the airport, we arrived at the hotel and were greeted by more students from the WIC (Waseda International Club) and proceeded into the hotel. From there, we threw our stuff down and grabbed some pizza and beer at a near by pizza parlor. Apprently, its an American chain but I have yet to hear of it so it was a new experience for me. As we ate and drank, we mostly spoke in English to one another and honestly, it didn't feel as though we were in Japan. There we were sitting in an American-style restaurant, eating pizza, and speaking in English. While this isn't exactly the experience I came here looking for, it also was just the first night and an easy transition into a new environment.
Soon after we finished eating, many of us headed back to the hotel to rest up. I went to bed at around 11pm but some how woke up at 3am. And now that I have written this entry, I think I will try to lay down for a little bit longer.
Until next time.
PS. Next time, I promise I'll post pictures |
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| Big Thanks |
[Sep. 10th, 2006|02:27 pm] |
Well, the day has finally arrived. As I take a break from packing up the last few things of mine, I would like to take the opportunity to thank those that have helped me along the way thus far. I have been lucky enough to have such great family members, friends, professors, etc all supporting me and my studies. You all have stood behind me and have helped make this trip possible. Honestly, I don't think I could have done it alone. Thank you.
Quick summary of this last week:
Celebrated my 21st birthday, WOOT!
Last day of work at the market
Co-workers and mom held a going away party for me
Shared some heartfelt goodbyes with friends and family
Mentally started preparing myself for this trip
The summer has flown by and I don't know where the time has gone. By the this evening, I will be in LA staying at a hotel before my flight tomarrow. And by this time tomarrow, I will be on the plane getting ready for a good long nap.
Once more, thanks again to all of those have helped me in this journey and keep checking for more updates once I arrive.
Japan, here I come! |
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| Homestay |
[Aug. 25th, 2006|06:21 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  I'm bored!!! | ] |
Until yesterday, I was under the impression that the participants of this program and myself would not know our living situation until after we arrived in Japan. However, when I called the International Programs office yesterday regarding another matter, the topic of housing was brought up. According to the nice lady on the other end of the line, I had been put down for a host family.
Well its about time I found out!
I don't think I could have waited until I got there to find out if I was to live in the dorms or with a family. I'm having a hard enough time packing as it is without worrying if I have to prepare to buy things for a more independent living style in the dorms, or get myself ready for a symbiotic living arrangement with a host family.
After she told me I was placed with a host family, I asked if I could have the family's information so that I may start contacting them before I depart. You know, get to know them a little bit before I show up at their doorstep with a big bow on my head and a note taped to my chest explaining why I'm there. Other programs I know have had their students and host families exchange contact information months before they even meet. This way, they can get to know one another and meeting for the first time isn't terribly awkward, making the moving in process run just that much smoother.
While she didn't have that information on hand, she gave me the e-mail address of someone who would. I sent the e-mail today and am now patiently waiting for a response. However, since the plan is we are to meet our host families a few days after we arrive (the first few days are orientation held at a hotel), I may not receive information regarding my host family just to make things fair for other students. All I can do now is wait...
Days left in America: 17
Picture:Tokyo Tower at night
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| With 28 Days Left... |
[Aug. 14th, 2006|12:59 pm] |
With less then a month left before I go to Japan, I am beginning to feel the pressure of getting all my eggs lined up before I depart. When I’m not working five days out of the week, I can be seen running around town taking care of errands, spending time with friends and family, and trying to work in some me time here and there. These last few months I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed, closed old bank accounts and opened new ones, set up an eye appointment, and continued to stay on top of the currency exchange rates. In addition, I’ve had to call San Jose State’s Financial Aid office relentlessly to organize the scholarships and loans to make this year abroad financially feasible. Can you believe the school’s financial aid package wasn’t ready until just this week?! But enough complaining, I know that I’ve worked hard for this and these are just the last few things I need to have taken care of before I take off.
While it has been trying, there have been a few good things that have come out of all of this. One being that I have been able to spend time with my family here in San Diego, many of whom I haven’t seen I was just a little boy. I have gotten a lot closer with my grandmother, have a better connection with my father, and get along with my younger brother. As far as friends go, it’s been a bit rocky because most of my friends (even the ones that I met in San Diego) live up in the bay area now. We haven’t been able to meet as much as I would have hoped this summer, but everyone’s got a busy schedule and I’m sure I’ll see them when I return. And some from San Jose will be visiting me this week, so I’m looking forward to that.
Another thing I have been trying to do this summer is study up on as much Japanese grammar and vocabulary as possible. This way, when I arrive there I won’t be spending as much time looking up new words and trying to figure out what is going on. But on the other hand, those kinds of experiences are crucial to the learning process and I shouldn’t push myself so hard, but rather just sit back let it sink in for a moment. I find myself some nights cramming and studying like crazy, and on other nights (usually when my brain is tired of trying to store new information) I just try to read up on some of the Japanese news, read old textbooks, manga, or just listen to J-pop. Speaking of J-pop, let it be known that Angela Aki is an amazing singer-songwriter and I cannot wait to see her live someday in Japan.
With the days winding down and my visa arriving in the mail the other day, the fact that I will be leaving the country for a year is finally starting to set in. But as I prepare myself to leave, I also need to remember to keep an open mind and let the experience guide me to where I need to go. I have to have faith in those running the program and WATCH MY BUDGET!
Until next time~ |
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| Retrieving My Visa |
[Aug. 4th, 2006|01:04 pm] |
Honestly, getting the visa was a lot easier then I thought it would be.
The day started with my mom and I getting up at 2:30am and were out the door by 3am. Why so early you ask? Well, the only two Japanese Consulates in California are in Los Angeles and San Fransisco and in order to avoid LA traffic, waiting in a long line at the consulate, etc, we decided to leave very early to beat the rush. Well, thanks to mapquest and a somewhat decent rental car, we arrived at the Consulate at approximately 4:50am. A whole 4 and a half hours before the office opened. So we parked the car and decided to find a starbucks.
Luckly, there was one in the office park and it opened at 5am. After getting our coffee we decided to find a McDonald or someplace that served breakfast. We asked a few security guards who pointed us in countless directions and after getting lost for over an hour just looking for the place, we found it sitting in the middle of a food court that we were never informed about. We ate there and continued to wait, discussing random topics such as gays in the military and real estate.
Finally, the building in which the consulate was in opened its doors and we were able to sign in at the security desk to head up stairs. Having heard that other consulates only issue a certain number of visas a day, we wanted to make sure that we missed out, especially after having driven so far. We went up to the 17th floor and were directed to the window to apply for visas. I was the 3rd person in line and it was a simple matter of collecting the forms that the IP office had told me to take. Et c'est voila! All done.
The only problem was that we would have to come back at 3:30pm that day to pick up my passport with the visa stamp inside. We had already been there for almost 5 hours now and my tooth had begun to bug me (I had my wisdom teeth taken out just last week), so I asked if there was a way it could be mailed to me. Sure enough, the lady behind the window pulls out a fed ex slip for me to fill out and she said it would be mailed to me within a week.
Oddly enough though, on the way home we had just missed the LA work traffic but hit traffic just after Camp Pendelton all the way until San Diego. Why there was traffic there at 11am on a Thursday morning, I will never know. There were no accidents to be seen, no stalled vehicles, nothing. Just cars lined up for as far as the eye could see.
Anywho, that whole ordeal is done and I am just one step closer to bording that plane.
Days left until Japan: 38 |
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