first two days of fall semester orientation

Inuyama inn pre dinner - What a past couple of days! Yesterday I met our program director at the Chubu international airport and helped bring new arriving students to the hotel in Nagoya. We took the Meitestu train and then walked from Nagoya station to the hotel.

The first person I took to the hotel arrived at 11:15. She and I dropped her stuff off at the hotel and then explored for a while. We watched a summer dance festival going on in the streets. We talked a lot and then I had to get back to the airport.

The next group of students was two boys and two girls. My director said that I didn't have to come to the airport again after this group. I brought them to the hotel and then we found a couple more students already there. A group of 6 of us went to get dinner which was delicious!

I wound up staying up later than I should have but I did get up this morning and get down to breakfast early. I ate a lot and everything was delicious. I drank about 5 glasses of milk. ^_^ Then we all went on a tour of the Nagoya station led by our director. Our group is about 30 students or so and I have met and talked with most of them. We walked around to the different facets of the station and all the different trains it offers. Then we headed back to the hotel. We got on our charter bus and set out to Inuyama. On the bus the director and his assistant introduced themselves and explained a bit about the next few days.

When we arrived we had a bit of free time. Some of us stayed in the lobby and talked and played cards. Then we had our first orientation session. Then we immediately started our Japanese lessons. I got the same teacher as last semester and she remember me!! :D I was glad to see her again b/c I think she is a really good teacher. The class was a great review and a great practice session for speaking. Since the lesson I have been hanging out in my gorgeous room with my roomies. We had our complimentary tea and treats. Then two of them laid down to take a quick nap. One went to look for some other people and I came down to the internet room to write an entry for the last two days which have been exhausting but a blast. I've made friends with several of the students already. :) Dinner is in 25 minutes and I can't wait!!! I had some snacks for lunch but now I am so hungry!!! Then after dinner I plan to visit the awesome baths this place has. But I do want to get to bed early tonight. Another full day tomorrow!

epic fail but no use crying over spilled milk

DORM ROOM post dinner - Today was hot with a slight breeze.

SOOOOOOO, I am not on the orientation trip. I am sitting in my dorm room. There was a bit of a mix-up today. I got up early, all psyched and ready to go. I got all the way to the hotel in Nagoya with my large bag and asked the front desk if I can leave my bag there before leaving to go to the airport. I was supposed to meet the program director at the airport and help welcome the newly arriving students. Imagine my surprise when the guy at the desk tells tells me that the IES students are not scheduled to start arriving until TOMORROW!!!! I was like :O "WHAT???" So not knowing what else to do I called my program director. I told him that today is the Friday the 27th and was I not supposed to meet him today at the airport? The poor man was horrified to discover that he had in fact emailed me the wrong date for the orientation. Indeed, it is to start on the 28th, not the 27th.

I told him it was no big deal and that I would see him tomorrow. Of course on the inside I was ticked off. By the time I got all the way back to my dorm I wasn't mad anymore and was laughing it off. I spent today napping, watching health videos, and the like. I went to have dinner at Pastel, a pasta restaurant I am addicted to near my dorm. Then I went to the super market to purchase snacks for tomorrow. All in all I am not upset about the mix up. One day early is certainly better than one day late. Things like this happen and the director is only human. So my orientation will in fact be starting tomorrow, this time for sure. :P

orientation tomorrow

dorm room post dinner - Today was hot but with a brave little breeze!

I went to work and made a spice cake for the party Saturday. I also made scones. I had Japanese lessons. I have already packed for orientation tomorrow. Can't wait!

a past few days

dorm room post dinner - It has been hot the past few days with weird brief showers here and there.

I cleaned like crazy on Monday b/c there was a room inspection on Tuesday. I'm currently the only one in this apartment so I was on my own. However before my Japanese suite-mate left for a family visit she did clean her fair share so it wasn't so bad.

Tuesday I relaxed/studied. Today I did the same. I also went to a near-by restaurant for a salad, shellfish pizza slice, a pot of darjeeling tea, and a matcha pudding cup. DELICIOUS!!! Japanese style western food is usually amazing. ^_^ I then went to a supermarket and bought a loaf of bread bread from the bakery and some cheese.

Tomorrow I will go to work and bake a two layer cake. It's for a party the cafe is having on Saturday. It will be the 7th anniversary of the cafe. I will be on study abroad orientation so I can't attend the party unfortunately but at least I can contribute to it. I am thinking a nice spice cake... I can't do chocolate b/c we have an employee who is allergic to chocolate and I don't wanna poison / exclude him. :P I can't wait for the orientation trip!! Can't wait to start this semester either. I have been dying to get back to classes all summer. :D I checked online and the city where we are going for orientation (Inuyama) is slightly cooler than Nagoya is right now! FTW! \(^o^)/

not much to report again

dorm room post dinner - Today was cloudy but hot. I went to work and we were pretty busy. Not much else happened.

study fail, work, free dinner

dorm room post dinner - Today was hot.... :(

I got up and had every intention of studying but... I IMed with a friend instead... Then I left for work. We were busy today and towards the end of the night a regular came in. He had gone on a trip to Malaysia for a few days and brought back some sweets. Since it was Japanese lessons night we passed them around to everyone. I had several! They were delicious!!

After we closed I, a coworker, an instructor, and the regular customer went out to dinner. It was a delicious meal at a beautiful Japanese restaurant. At the end of the dinner the two guys insisted on paying for my coworker and me!!! I couldn't believe it! An awesome free meal!!

Now I am back at my dorm and I REALLY intend to study tomorrow morning!!

blogger acting weird... so three day catch-up!

dorm room post dinner - The past couple days blogger wouldn't let me log in. >:(

Anyway it's been hot but a little rain has fallen.

On Wednesday I met my friend in Sakae at 10am. We both had a small present for each other b/c we hadn't seen each other in a long time. She gave me Japanese jellos and sticky sweets. We walked around different places underground and in various department stores. We ate and caught up. Around 3 she had to go to a piano lesson so we said bye. Today I had the sweets and they were quite good. :)

Yesterday I went to work and had a nice day. After work my friend and her husband and I went to Denny's. The Denny's restaurants in Japan are nothing like the ones in America but the food was still very good.

Today I studied in the library on campus most of the day. I'm nervous about the upcoming placement test for the fall semester. :( I have work tomorrow but I want to study in the morning before I leave.

day in

dorm room post dinner - Not much happened today. I haven't left the dorm. I organized a bit. Tomorrow I am meeting a friend in Sakae though.

a day at the dorm and a dinner of pasta

dorm room post dinner - Today was bright and hot so I waited until 6:30pm before venturing outside... Hey, somedays I don't leave my room at all; except to step out on my balcony. But today, after staying up until 4am finishing Howl's Moving Castle (my sleep schedule is outta whack) I got up and talked to my parents and sister via skype. I studied, looked up news online, watched the Supersize Me documentary online, did yoga, and did some shopping. I also went to eat at a near-by restaurant called Pastel. I really like this place b/c it serves pasta and I am a sucker for pasta. It is one of my food weaknesses. But Japanese spaghetti dishes are delicious! I had a seafood salad and a mushroom and fish egg pasta dish. So delicious and nutritious. :D The only thing is I am not sure about is whether the pasta is 100% wheat. It is unlikely it was whole wheat actually so I need to limit how much I eat of it.

I have been doing yoga and watching online videos on healthy foods... I love health and nutrition. If I decide to go to med school I will probably make either that or bones my focus... BUT! that is all up in the air still so I won't say too much about that now.

cookies, beans, candles, books

dorm room post dinner - Today was overcast and sweltering... :..(

I went to work and made cookies. They were orange marmalade and walnut cookies. After work I visited the department store, Mitsukoshi, and was charmed into buying some soft beans by a Japanese sales person... She was a sweet grandma type and actually looked at and spoke to me. Usually a Japanese person will try to avoid talking to me assuming I speak no Japanese. This woman assumed I could understand and so I was grateful enough to purchase some red beans that turned out to be quite delicious. :D

I then went to a bakery/bread shop. Those are quite common here. I bought a sweet bean bun (yeah I was in a bean mood...) and an ice cold glass of milk. I sat in the shop after I had finished eating and read my latest book until closing at 8:30pm. My latest book is Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. I love the Miyazaki movie adaptation of this story so I decided to read the book it was based off of. I borrowed it from my boss (I have also borrowed Animal Farm from her...). So far I quite like Howl's Moving Castle. It is a story about a young girl who is turned into an old woman by a witch. When she is turned old she is finally able to speak her mind and act as she wants. The girl's body is trapped in an old crone but only when she is cursed is her true personality and bravery set free... I quite like the idea.

I got back to my dorm and spent an hour melting down three candles out on my balcony. I got them on the day we cleaned out the storage room at the place where I work. My boss found three random candles that she didn't need nor wanted and I volunteered to take them. Back in the last few days of May when I moved into the dorm I had found a lot of stuff already in the room. There were hangers in the closet. There was a flashlight. A mirror on the inside of the closet door. And also a box of matches in a drawer. I used that box of matches I had found for the candles. Also on the day I moved in I cleaned the room like crazy before unpacking (it had been somewhat dusty). The rag I had used was very dirty afterwards so I simply threw it out on my balcony. My balcony has a close-line and some close-pins strung up on it. At first I threw the rag over the clothes-wire but it kept falling down unless I pinned it. Recently it rained and the rag was still lying on the balcony sopping wet. I spread it out and put the candles on it to burn so they couldn't get out of control. I sat on the balcony for about an hour watching them burn down and melting the candle wax. I also burned a few of the dry dead leaves that were on my balcony. It was great fun for me. It has been a while since I have gotten to burn things. I am a bit of a pyro really. But I am always safe!

It was a good day. I just wish the heat would ease up...

not much to report

dorm room pre dinner - Today was overcast but hot. I went to work and not much of interest occurred otherwise....

children's books

dorm room post dinner - Today was overcast and muggy. I went to work and before leaving my boss lent me several of her books. I do a storybook class for kids at my job every month. The books are in English so it is for parents who want to expose their children to the language. I got Harold and the Purple Crayon and The Very Hungary Caterpillar in both English and Japanese. I will practice reading both.

rain, anime, dinner

dorm room post dinner - Today was rainy!!! XD I walked around Sakae underground network again this morning and visited three anime stores. Didn't buy anything but had a hoot looking around! Then went to work. Had dinner with a coworker, her friend, and her husband. It was yummy and I may have eaten a tad too much! I'm tired now... as always.

Harrod's

dorm room night - It was overcast today but none too cool. I got up early and went to Sakae. I walked around the underground network until I came upon a department store. This store is called Mitsukoshi. My boss had recommended to me a tea cafe inside this department store called Harrod's. The cafe specializes in British tea and Akiko, my boss, told me I should try the scones. So since I found myself standing in front of the entrance of Mitsukoshi I decided to be spontaneous for once and I went inside.

Japanese department stores are lovely by the way. All the workers stand by their stations and call out 'welcome' to you as you pass by or just pass any where near them. They bow to you constantly and smile widely (almost psychotically, almost). Everything is arranged in an aesthetically pleasing almost artist way. Great pains are taken to be helpful and if you buy something they wrap it beautifully and present it to you with ceremony. It is oh so deliciously Japanese. Japan is big on hospitality and to see this demonstrated at its fullest, walk into a department store.

I walked past several stands and displays with employees calling out 'welcome' cheerfully. I spotted Harrod's right away. I was welcomed and bowed in and took a seat. The server brought me a menu. I chose the 'tea set'. Sets are huge here. A set is just a certain combination of something on a menu that will get you a good value for the price. For example this tea set came with two scones and hot black tea for 1155 yen (around 12 dollars). If you had bought the items individually it would have been more expensive. So that kind of 'set' option is really popular and I have seen it on almost every menu I have laid eyes on in Japan.

When the tea came I was really surprised though! I had been expecting the usual, a warmed cup and my own little pot of piping hot tea. The pot would normally contain two, maybe two and a half cups in it. But the server also placed an additional larger pot on the table that was full of steaming water. Which meant I had two pots worth of tea!! :D The server also put a small sandglass on the table. When all the sand had reached the bottom the tea would be ready to pour. I also got a small pitcher of milk, a bowl of sugar cubes, and a little device to strain the tea leaves as I poured the tea into the cup. It was an amazing set up and I kicked myself for not bringing my camera.

The scones came before all the green sand particles fell. I got a raisin scone and a plain scone. I also got butter and jam. The scones, while tasty, were probably sweeter than traditional British scones but they weren't too sweet. I enjoyed my gorgeous and scrumptious meal. It was my second breakfast but I didn't care and I took my sweet time. I was feeling content and not frantic for the first time in a long while. I ate every morsel and drained every drop of my 'tea set' and leisurely warmed my hands on the cup and tea pots all the while. I inhaled the smell of the tea and felt like I was in some kind of dream-like meditation. Every now and again Japan will cast this kind of spell on me. Even though I was in an English style tea cafe enjoying tea and scones, I hadn't felt a deeper Japanese cultural experience in quite some time. I reluctantly left my peaceful reverie of thought and decided I had to get to work. I paid and thanked the waitress.

I walked calmly despite being outside (I usually try to get that over with as soon as possible). I had my large umbrella (to help block the sun) and my arm covers (recently invested in them). I got to MER (My English Room) and spent the next few hours helping clean out and reorganize the storage nook. I told my boss about visiting Harrod's and she once again told me the scones are sweeter than British scones.

I am back now in my dorm room and hope to get several things done before I go to sleep. I am tired as always but I feel so grateful for today. I hope I can return to Harrod's soon, perhaps with a coworker or with my host mom. For now I will revisit it in my mind and wrap myself in the memory. Such experiences really re-invigorate the body and soul.

good day

dorm room post dinner - Today was a nice day. It was raining. But I just stayed in my dorm the whole day. I studied and did yoga. I also finished the Lord of the Rings which I have been trying to finish for a few weeks now. I also talked with my parents via skype and washed my hair. Tomorrow I go to work.

a lame attempt at catching up

So I basically stopped giving accounts of my daily life on the night of the Tanabata party at My English Room, where I work.

The party was really fun. I made a birthday cake for Sebastian, the Swedish staff member at the cafe. I decorated it like the Swedish Flag. I also made birthday cupcakes for Akiko. I also made brownies for the ice cream sundae bar we had. A lot of regular customers and friends came to the party and everyone had a good time I think. Tanabata is like a summer festival that has to do with stars and an old legend about two lovers and the milky way. Read here for more info. After the pary ended a bunch of us went and did karaoke. I had a lot more fun this time doing karaoke. It was a different place and I knew the people I was with a lot better.

Work is still really fun and I have been baking new things to sell almost every week. I learned how to make scones! I helped with a children's class in a neighboring town and got paid nicely for that. Otherwise I have been trying to study...

I have been working a lot in July. I have also been hanging out with my co-workers. I went and saw the newest Miyazaki movie called Karigurashi no Arrietty or The Borrower Arrietty. I really liked it. I also went to a baseball game and the Nagoya dragons won! I have been trying to be patient with the heat but it really is wearing me down. Nagoya is the hottest place in Japan right now. It is hotter here than in Okinawa! :( Which sucks for me.

Hopefully I can be better with the blog from now on. July was a bad month for it.