01/15/10 room, evening - So the alarm thing worked pretty well I guess. Honestly turning on the heater an hour early just took an edge of the cold. I ate breakfast and my host mom gave me a bottle of tea and a mikan (little orange type thing) to take with me today. I put them with the bottle of tea she’d given me the night before. We walked to the bus stop together. She told me she likes to walk so she will always walk to the bus stop with me in the mornings. She told me today was the day I travel the whole way by myself. I got on the bus and got off at the train station. That’s when it got interesting. I went up to the platform I thought was right but it was definitely a different train that pulled up a few minutes later. It was a different color and had all seats in it instead of mostly standing room. I looked up at the display board and it had some lovely looking kanji on it for this train but it didn’t seem at all familiar. I didn’t get on the train and after it left I started thinking, “Ok, am I on the wrong platform?” I went back down the stairs and retraced my steps and I was certain that it was the same platform as always. I went back up and this time on the board there was some kanji that did seem familiar. “More than one train?” I thought. I sheepishly stepped up to a woman standing and waiting for the train and said that I wanted to go to Ozone and I asked if this train goes there. She said yes so I was relieved. I got on the train that pulled up (this time looking exactly like the one I know and love) and rode in a crowded car all the way to Ozone. Here I got off and went next door to the subway station. I got down on the platforms and was actually in a train when I realized something was not quite kosher. This train (looking at its map) seemed not to go to Nagoya Daigaku, which is my stop. It hit me that, different trains using same platform at train station… probably different subway trains using same platform too. Wrong train! I bounded right back out the doors, which closed behind me. The next train that came by I couldn’t get on. The last passengers got off and then a cleaning crew came out of nowhere and got on and crossed their arms at the door in the Japanese style X. No getting on this one. The next train I got on and it started moving. Then at the next stop everyone had to get off because it was the last one. What??? Third time’s the charm. This time I DID get on the wrong train. I was so confused. And now I was in the Nagoya Dame-mae subway station without knowing how to continue to the 6 more stops to Nagoya Daigaku. I asked an employee but apparently he misunderstood because he wound up directing me to an exit that lead outside. I had said, “Nagoya Daigaku ikitaitesu.” Which is “I want to go to Nagoya University.” He thought I meant I wanted to WALK there. So went and found another employee and said, “Chikatestu de Nagoya Daigaku ikitaitesu.” I want to go to Nagoya University BY SUBWAY. He told me platform two. So since I left the subway I had to pay again to get back in. >:( I got on the Meiji clockwise line and that one took me to Nagoya Daigaku as per usual. Well, as you can imagine, I was completely exasperated by now and half ran, half dragged myself to the Nanzan North Gate and then to the room where my Japanese class was. I staggered into the classroom a whopping 15 minutes late. I was mostly ignored except that I was given some papers that the other students already had. The sensei was still going over rules and expectations (one of which was punctuality). After introductions (I muttered my name, home country, and a couple hobbies and sat back down, I was so glum over being late) we moved to a different classroom and a different teacher at one point and then another teacher joined the second. I am not sure if this was first day business or standard practice. We reviewed Kanji. We took another placement test just to make sure we were in the right class. Then class was over as soon as you finished the test. We got three pages of kanji homework and an information sheet to fill out and return on Monday. There is a French guy in the class and I wanted to ask him if he would mind talking to me in French (so I don’t forget it all). But I was still reeling a bit from the morning fiasco so I decided to ask him Monday if I get the chance. I didn’t catch his name at that time.
After I finished the test I went with Marissa san to buy books (she hadn’t bought hers either, and we didn’t even need them today so it worked out). We were half way to the bookstore and were talking about the test, when a news reporter and cameraman came up to us and asked us if we would like to be interviewed. Marissa san and I both looked at one another in horrification. The reporter said he was interviewing study abroad students. We both tried to say that our Japanese wasn’t very good and that it would be difficult. He said he understood and that it was no problem at all and then went away to continue his search. Marissa san and I both agreed after they left that we didn’t have anywhere near the confidence in our Japanese to be interviewed. We didn’t want to embarrass ourselves on TV!! I was very disappointed too though. How often are you asked to be interviewed? Because I can’t speak well I lost the chance to do something exciting. Opportunity seldom knocks twice. Every second of every day I wish I could speak Japanese better and in that moment I wished it most of all. Some day...
We bought our books at the bookstore and ran into Megan san while we were there. Afterwards Megan san and Marissa san were going to the conbini (convenient store) that was right downstairs but I had to go to the CJS building so I said I’d see them later. On the way to the CJS building I run into Sam san and Nia san. We talked for a while about the IES student lunch party happening on Sunday and decided to meet at the Motoyama subway station at 11 and go the rest of the way together. Then I proceeded to the CJS building and checked my mail slot. I had a copy of my schedule in there (all official) and a slip of paper saying my university account password had been successfully set up. I looked at all the other students’ mail slots and noticed a French name. I nosily slanted my head so I could read it. Sebastian Claude LeBlanch. VERY French name and probably the guy in my class. Then I asked the CJS people at the desk about getting a job. They said they would inquire at a few places that they know usually need help and I will inquire at a café on campus and the library. If I get a job offer I go to CJS and we fill out a form together that is the first step in making it legal for me to work. I wish I didn’t have to work but maybe it will be a cool and different way to experience the culture. I would love to work in the Nanzan library because I worked in my high school library and I work in my home university’s library.
After that I went to a cafeteria and had my lunch. Then I visited a pink female restroom (twitch) and then went to building B for my religions class at 1:30. I found the room on the fourth floor and still had 25 minutes before class began so I explored the entire floor and found out that the fourth floor of building B is connecting to the 3rd floor of building A which is right next to it. As I was wondering around building A’s 3rd floor a woman saw me and asked me where I was trying to go. I hurriedly told her that I wasn’t lost that I was just looking. She said oh sightseeing huh? And she smiled. I smiled too. Where was she when I was trying to figure out trains this morning?
I discovered a lounge with vending machines and a bunch of Japanese students in it and I took pictures from a couple of windows. Then I headed back to building B and room 45 and was only waiting there for two minutes when Jennifer san showed up. There are 8 or 9 of us in that class and the sensei is Raj Susai and he studied at Nanzan back in the day and then got his doctorate in London. He is really knowledgeable and his lecture was really interesting. I already like the class and it has no tests, only papers, which is right up my ally. I suck at tests but I can write an essay. Classes that don’t have tests I can usually get A’s in so I hope it’s the case here as well. The class is taught in English by the way. Only the Japanese language classes are taught in Japanese like my intensive 300 and the kanji course. If you are an Intensive Japanese 600 or 700 you can take classes in Japanese and more power to them I say. I asked Jennifer san, who is in IJ 600, if she had gotten homework and she said they had not. Lucky ducks. :6 Since it was the first class Raj Sensei let us go half an hour early at 3:15. I visited another rest room (red this time, nice change of pace) and when I got back to the room Kai san was there waiting for me (we had arranged to meet so we could go back home together). Kai san is in IJ 300 with me but she doesn’t have another class on Fridays. She was nice enough to wait for me! :3 We ran the gauntlet of public transportation together. I explained why I’d been late and she told me that indeed there are three subway trains that use that platform and at least 2 trains that use the same platform at the train station. Very good to know. You actually have to get on the CORRECT moving vehicle; who knew? The France metro was different in my defense. I told Kai san about the French bakery I went to yesterday and suggested we go together on Monday. So I will try not to pig out when we go.
Kai san takes the number 5 bus from the train station and I take the number 4 so we said later and I got on the bus. I almost missed my stop because I was looking at the board wrong. Luckily someone else pushed the button to stop and this gave me just enough time to realize I was at my stop and needed to get off. I went in one direction; it seemed weird so I turned around and went the other way. It seemed worse. I was confusing the directions because in the morning it is a different stop on a different corner with a completely different orientation. I went back the way I went the first time and realized it was in fact the right way (would this commute ever end?) The rest of the way to the house was blessedly uneventful. Oops it’s shower time. I’ll finish this entry when I return. 20:37 (J time)
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