Summary of First Couple Days

DAY ONE-04/01: This Japanese girl from Sophia picked me up from the airport and we had to take a train to get from the airport to where my host family was picking me up. Her name is Shiori, but I almost called her Oshiri, which means "ass" in Japanese.... Pretty bad. The way you use the train systems in Japan is you buy your ticket, put it in this slot thing, and then take it out the other end as you walk through this gate. Now I didn't know you picked the ticket up, so I just put the ticket in thinking that was the entrance fee thing. So when we got off to transfer, we couldn't get out, because you're supposed to put the ticket in at the end of the trip! I felt really stupid and we had to take a different train and pay more money.....

We finally got to the station and I met my family. They drove me back to their HUGE (by Tokyo standards) house and fed me a HUGE dinner which I couldn't eat all of. I went to bed in my full sized bed (bigger than my one back home), thus ending day one.

DAY TWO-04/02: Woke up to an enormous breakfast and a Japanese shower (which is just the head of the shower attached to a hose and you spray yourself down.... hard to get used to). Then I met the other exchange student living with the family. He showed me how to get to Sophia (because he goes there). While waiting at the bus stop, this Japanese lady walks up to me and says something and points to my ass. Apparently I hadn't taken the sticker off of my pants!!! I thanked her and took it off. The bus is really annoying because it costs more than in America and is smaller and slower (I think). We arrived at the train station and took it to Sophia.

The campus is really beautiful with lots of cherry blossoms and other plant life. We had a really crappy orientation that was extremely confusing. Then all the kids of Seattle U went out exploring Yotsuya, which is the neighborhood the school is in. It was a lot of fun.

I headed back to my station, but when I got there, I didn't know which bus to take back! My "host brother" (which is how I shall refer to him) told me to take the #14 bus at stop 8, but there was two stop 8s! I found the first one, but it didn't have the #14 bus, so I wondered around the outside of the station for about 40 minutes. I didn't want to ask the koban (police/tour guides all around Japan) because I didn't have my passport on me, but I eventually found it. When I got on the bus, I felt a huge sense of satisfaction knowing I could find my way back home.

DAY THREE-04/03: I had to get to school by 10 to take a Japanese placement test. I wasn't too worried about it, but when I got the test, it was a BEAST! I thought I'd at least be able to do the intermediate level, but I was only able to barely fully complete the beginner level.... After that test chewed me and spit me out, we met up with Yukari, who had gone to Seattle U the year before. She's really amazing and it was so good to see her again! She helped me get my commuter pass so that I could travel to and from my home station to the school's station and anywhere in between as much as I wanted for a month. Then there was the exchange/international student party. It was a lot of fun and I met some more really interesting people.

DAY FOUR- 04/04: I had nothing to do for school, but I asked Yukari to help me get a cell phone, but cell phones are SOOO FUCKING EXPENSIVE in Japan.... It's about $300 for the cheapest one! Even though I was planning on getting one that day, I walked away empty handed because of my reluctance to pay that much for a cell phone. I'm waiting to hear back from people selling used ones. I feel really bad making Yukari do all that work.... :'(.





I hope that'll tide you over! We're still decided what to do this weekend (we're probably going to Kyoto, Oosaka, and Nara!!!). But I'll write more later and have links to pictures that I've posted on facebook! Bye for now! またね！