Warning: A very long update ahead

Things have been so hectic that I've got little time to organize my thoughts and blog my first impressions of Japan properly. Much less upload the few pictures that I've taken of my neighbourhood and Kansai Gaidai University (KGU).

I shall attempt to write things in an organized manner now by compartmentalizing them. Hopefully to make it easier for me to type and easier for you to read!

1) Weather

Like I mentioned in my previous post, weather is really really very hot here. It's a little worse than Singapore. I guess, it's typical summer heat. I did a stupid thing on Tuesday by walking under the sun without any sunblock. My skin felt like it was going to rip apart from the heat. I swear, I'm a shade darker than I was when I left Singapore just from that 1 hour walk to and fro KGU. If Seb were to see me now, he wouldn't be able to comment that I look pale and need tonic soup anymore! haha. Cos my face is so red!!! =P

Apparently, I prepared so much for autumn, and did nothing for summer. I wish I have my sunglasses with me :( Haha, this reminds me of the many packets of Panama Jack sunblock that I "stole" from Discovery Cove that I never got around using because it was so thick and applying it made everyone look like ghosts. On Wednesday, I wore long sleeves and jeans. Which worked out just fine, cos it was raining when we left the dormitory, and it was raining when I returned. And so it protected me from some rain that my umbrella couldn't cover...

In Osaka, you see aunties (obasans) riding bicycles and they're covered in long gloves, long sleeves and long pants. And those aunties' bicycles have a handle especially to place umbrellas. Like how cool is that? I would take a photo if I were 100% sure that I won't get beaten up or confronted by the irate aunty. haha.

Anyways, since I don't have an official umbrella, I've taken to borrowing one from the CIE (Centre of International Exchange) everyday. On Tuesday, I told them, "I want an umbrella that blocks out the sun." They gave me a higasa (a sun-umbrella), or parasol. Which was so small that only Doraemon can fit under it! But nonetheless, it was nice of her to especially look for the higasa for me. It's really cute, I can tell you, the higasa. And of course, it didn't occur to me to take photos of it, cos I'm not a camera-shutter-addict.

2) Accomodation

We stay at places called "Seminar House". I am temporarily assigned to Seminar House 3, which apparently is the best (and therefore the most expensive) Seminar House. It has a right and a left wing (like PSD has). I stay in the (self-labelled) right wing. We have 4 rooms in each wing and 3 people stay in each room. That is, until the homestay students move out to stay with their host families. When you first enter, there is this lounge with comfortable sofas, and a TV. There is also a separate area, the kitchen, where we're not allowed to cook for the 1st week. The shower area is very nicely done. There are only two toilet seats, but 4 showers. There is this separate compartment in the shower. [I have to insert a picture, because I don't know how to describe it! Once my computer gets back and I stop using borrowed computers and borrowed net connections]

My room is tatami-matted. It smells really really nice. :) We have futon for our bedding =) and while we're supposed to roll it up, none of us actually do. We just leave it there and run out for our orientation activities in the day. We're also supposed to switch off the aircon, but we don't do that either! =P Leave it on 24/7. Haha, what a total waste of electricity eh? =P But what to do? See (1). It's so bloody hot! The pillows assigned to us are ... well, not the normal fluffy kind. There's something in it, and I feel like slashing it and looking into the contents, but apparently that'd be causing grievous bodily harm to the poor pillow that never did anything to me. So, yeah. I don't know what's in it. But it does make for uncomfortable sleeping you know. I try to go to bed at 12midnight, but I toss and turn for 1 hour before dropping off. It's really strange. I think I've got jet-lagged and I'm not even in a very different time zone. Just one hour difference. During the General Briefing on Wednesday, I almost fell asleep. It's really strange how when I eventually go back to my futon (i love my futon!), I can't sleep!

Sadly, even if we wanted to sleep in, my roommates and I wake up every morning at 6am to the sun that shines like it's 8am. We draw our thick blankets over our heads, preparing to suffocate in the process for just a few more minutes of sleep. It works, for about an hour or so... until I run out of oxygen and have to surface...

3) Roommates

I've got 2 roommates: Ann from Maryland and Diana from, you know what? I forgot where she's from. They're both nice people =) I also got to know this Korean American who stays next door, Daryn (pronounced, in a strange twist, "Darren"). We have a Japanese neighbour too, called Yui. On Tuesday, we were crazy! Haha, watched a lot of cat-related Youtube videos (when the wireless internet was still working) and watched Anastasia in parts on Youtube. Ann, Daryn and I started singing along with the musical. Yui couldn't really understand the movie, but was sufficiently amused by our singing. haha. It was really stupid. Like some karaoke competition that I'm sure we'd all pass but not win :P

Because they've taken Japanese before, they taught me several words that I should remember when I'm at my homestay. :) And they try to speak simple Japanese so that I'd get used to it, and so that Yui won't feel so alienated from us who speak purely English.

4) Activities at KGU

a) Bank account opening. You will not believe what a pain it was. I actually wrote so neatly, but because my name was not written "Exactly the Same" way as my passport, I had to fill out the form 3 times! -__- and it was all because of the "Y" and "U" in my name. Apparently, I wrote the two as if they were small letters, when they were supposed to be written in a "capital letter" manner. -___- *sighs* But thank goodness, it's over!

b) Payment. Payment went rather smoothly, I thought. In total, I submitted 301,000 yen, of which, 10,000 will be refunded to me once I meet all outstanding obligations at KGU at the end of the school term. [yay, money to buy stuff for travelling]

c) Registration number lottery. Registration numbers are balloted. So, if you get a bad number, then, too bad for you. You may not be able to register for courses that you want. Unless, the courses that you want are low in demand... But courses in KGU are so darned cool that everyone wants to take everything! haha.

d) Campus tour. I reached school just in time for the last bit of campus tour. And Yuki very kindly walked me through the campus tour again. haha, he's really very nice and friendly... The only cute Japanese guy I've seen so far. Not to worry, I'll see more cute Japanese guys once term starts! :P

e) Japanese Placement Test: Because I self-profess that I have NO background in Japanese at all, I just did a questionnaire and got the hell out of the hall =) So it was fine. haha. Wasn't even a test-test for me.... Daryn had to go through the test AND the interview cos her level of japanese was wayyy too high.. haha.

5) Food

Hmm, I have to thank Jonny boy again for the muffins. I ate one for breakfast on Tuesday, and one for breakfast on Wednesday. Haha, cos I don't know what else to eat. Or rather, I "forgot" to buy breakfast for myself and that was the only available thing in the morning.

Onigiri is the cheapest food here, I think. I bought my first onigiri on Monday evening, when we went on a supermarket expedition at 8pm. My onigiri was at 1/2 price, so only paid 68 yen for it. :) haha, but it was really small. The onigiri at the school is MUCH bigger, and it's only 100 yen. So basically, for the past 2 days, I've been eating onigiri for my lunches. :) the one that I usually buy is the nutty flavoured one. *yummy* <3

Ann and I were at the Cafeteria on Wednesday, and she couldn't finish her curry rice. So, I stole hers and ate it. It was really really really good. :) The best curry rice I've eaten. Even Moon River cannot compare lah! haha. SY who went there last term was right! And, it's only 220 yen for a small plate. Very very worth it. :) But my onigiri is more worth it! It's really hugeeeeeeeee... haha. About the size of my palm, more or less. Yeah, well. Okay, aside from onigiri, there's sushi, ramen, udon, fried fish, fried meat, etcetc all of which I didn't eat because I'm waiting for my host family to cook me superb meals :) So, meanwhile, it's gonna be curry rice and onigiris for the next few meals =)

I can imagine, if I were living on my own in the dorm, I'd grow skinnier by another 7kg. People always ask me, "What happened to you in USA? How come you lost so much weight!!?" Now the answer is very clear to me. Cos I was so stingy with money that I wouldn't buy the burgers or sandwiches and would always get the side dishes at the cafeteria. haha. And of course, because FY always cooked healthily! =) So it helped...

Anyways, the school is 30minutes walk away from the Seminar House... If I were to walk there and back everyday, it's plenty of exercise for me already! Fortunately, I'm not gonna live by myself! I'm living with host family, who will of course make sure I take my meals regularly, and make sure I don't grow skinny and instead grow fatter. *oh wells* =P

Orange juice is my staple, though. I walk to Fresco, or Top supermarket, which are the nearest grocery stalls around to buy orange juice. They also have a 99 yen shop around here, but there's govt tax. So, things actually cost 104 yen, instead of 99 yen. Orange juice (as in artificial orange juice lah) costs 108 yen at Fresco. At Top, Tropicana (with a little little bit of pulp) cost me 206 (because it was gonna expire on 4 Sept). Haha, but it's all gone already!!! In just 1 day! Ann is amazed at how much orange juice I go through. haha, though I know technically it's bad for health with all the sugar and all. But I'm lazy to actually unpack my vit c. I'll just wait till I'm really settled down at my host family before doing all those unpacking stuff.

6) Host family

At some point in the 1st 2 days, I sorta regretted choosing homestay, instead of dormitories. Then I reminded myself, if I wanted to stay in the dormitory, I'd have gone to Germany instead. But, I wanted to experience the culture, to throw myself in a totally different situation, alternative lifestyle if you will. So, now I'm looking at things in a more positive light.

My host family details have been released to me. =) I get a family with an Otosan, Okasan, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. In my application, I wrote, "I love children very very much". True enough, they gave me a family with 2 children who are toddlers and 2 older kids who are 16 and 21. I don't so mind the toddlers cos I really do love children. It's the older kids that I fear I may have trouble connecting with! :( Otosan is self employed and Okasan is a child minder (that could also explain the extra toddlers! I don't think it's Otosan's and Okasan's children!)

Anyhow, my fears about transport weren't realised (thank goodness!) My host family lives 31 minutes away from KGU. This is so much better than what I'd feared (2 hours in the train, and 1000 yen on transport). So, I take the train and then walk 15 minutes to KGU. Of course, including the waiting time and very very slow walking, it'd prob be about 40 minutes to reach school. But no problem, still much better than 2 hours!!! =P

You know that saying about not having too high an expectation or else you'd be disappointed? haha. thank goodness I didn't have all that high an expectation of my host family. :)

7) Fashion sense

I observe the fashion here and it's not much different from other countries. Maybe because most of the other students here are international students and everyone's in tank tops, and short shorts or t-shirt and jeans. Haha, I know a certain alligator would be so pleased if he could step into the university premises because of all the hot girls prancing around... haha. and, no, I won't take pictures. It'd be so weird to take pictures of girls in school. -___-

8) Transfer of Credits and Registration of Courses

I plan on taking 17 credits here transfer 3.5, and be left with 6 credits in SMU. *sighs* My last semester and I still do 6 courses! I mean, it's insane lah. Other people get by with 4-5 courses per sem, and I do 6 courses for 4 terms. Just hope and pray that all the courses match, or else... *sighs* It'd be more than what I can handle in my last (pathetic) term in SMU. I also plan to audit two courses: Religion in Japan and Japanese Buddhism. Auditing means you don't do any of the work, but still get to learn stuff. Takes the stress of learning, I think. At least, credits aren't transferable. Have to ask the lecturer for permission first. There's this part where I can actually go visit the shrines with the entire class. Also, there's this class taught by a lecturer called Prof Scott, who actually arranged for a visit to Hiroshima (if I'm not mistaken) to listen to one of the A-bomb survivors. How cool is that? Of course, I'm not even gonna audit that one, cos I'm not a political science kinda person. But, I'll go for the Hiroshima trip!!! =) haha. So exciting!!!!

Anyways, Jon, please don't curse me. I don't want to stay back in SMU for another term! I'd feel so horrible doing it. So, haha, don't start hoping that I'd stay back 1 more term with you!!! :P [anyways, we won't have any courses in common. It's just the thought of me suffering along with you right, you sadist!]

9) General feelings I love the buildings here. They're just so pretty. =) Terrace houses, I know. But it looks like something out of the movies or something. =) Almost all the houses I've seen are two-storeys. I love it so much!!! =) [will insert pictures next time... ;P] There are also many vending machines. I read that in guide books, but to see them for yourself, it's still very surprising. Like, every 20 steps you take, you're bound to see a drinks vending machine. I don't drink anything from there, cos I only drink orange juice. Cher will so kill me, cos she reminded me time and again to go use the vending machines =P The Japanese people love dogs. They seriously do! Everyday, I see more than 10 dogs... And they're all immaculate and well-groomed dogs, who are well-mannered, except for the dog that's beside Seminar House 2. It always, without fail, barks at me! :( It just hates me. :( -meow-

Sighs, I wish I'd listened to my aunt and brought along a small teddy or something [that is not meant as a gift to my speaking partner!] Sighs. Ann has beary, Daryn has Tan-chan. I got the pink dolphin that YK gave me before I left. But it's not big enough to hug, unlike Tan-Chan. I feel like stealing Tan-Chan from her! haha.

Laundry is done downstairs! They have a dryer and a washing machine. So will wash the clothes on Saturday or Friday evening lah :)

My roommates love the use of "lah". They add "lah" to everything. I'm exporting Singlish!!! They're fascinated by the way I speak when I speak Singlish. haha. And whenever I catch myself saying, "lah", I stop and they laugh. Haha, it's quite funny.

Okay, that ends my super super long update! tadah!!!! =)

Tomorrow's registration, welcome ceremony/dinner (so I don't need to think about dinner tomorrow!). Erm, and that's it. haha. So, it's a slacking day tomorrow.

I signed up for the Kyoto trip on Friday. Will explore Makino station by myself, or with my roommates on Saturday. And maybe to the Mall. But I'll decide that on Friday evening.

Good nights!