On the 15th I left Natsuyo's house and went to Takadanobaba (city near Waseda where a lot of the foreign students live and where most of all the students hang out). Natsuyo was kind enough to help me all the way to the hotel with my bags. When we reached the hotel I was the first one there so I went ahead and checked in; found out that I was sharing a room with one of the other exchange students (which turned out to be fine, I was just hoping to have peace to my self...oh well). Me and Nat went and hung out after checking in with one of the Waseda volunteers. I bought a new wallet! My old one was so ratty and the zipper was broken and Natsuyo felt sorry for it and told me that I had to buy a new one. I didn't really have a choice. The new one is bright yellow and big and perfect! Cost me about $50 but spending $50 is nothing here...it's like spending $20; a fact which I forgot and was a little irritated at because the exchange rate is the pits right now. oh well.
Anyway, on to the orientation stuffs. It really was the longest three days of my life. It was an orientation for just OUS (Oregon university system) students so that was kind of cool. All the Waseda volunteers had these shirts that had "OUS" all artistically written on them and then had a picture of good ol' kulongoski (insert jokes here) with a heart around it. We really didn't do anything the first night other than go out to eat and meet our "buddies" (waseda volunteers that we got paired up with for the next few days). They were all pretty surprised at the level of my Japanese and I had to repeatedly (and I mean repeatedly) tell people that I went to high school in Shizuoka for a year, etc, etc...
Me and Micah (friend from PSU) had a chance to catch up that night. There was a vending machine right outside my room that sold beer and these drinks called Chu-Hi ( a lemony flavored Mike's hard lemonade sort of thingy). Me and him both went with the Chu-hi and regretted it the next morning (and that night after we said farewell). Never. EVER. drinking chu-hi again.
The next day we woke up early and got taken to campus for the first time. Ryoma had actually taken me there last year but I really couldn't remember any specific details of the place. It's a pretty big campus and most of my classes will be held in one building called the SILS (school of international liberal studies) so that's convenient.
First I had to go to a JASSO (The awesome scholarship that i'm getting; $800/month baby!) orientation. Have to open a Japanese bank account before I can get my monies, but I knew that already. Then went through 2 hours of introduction and what-not, then lunch with the volunteers, then more info about Waseda, etc, etc. There are two "circles" that all the volunteers were apart of; Niji no Kai and W.I.C (waseda international club). They both are just kinda groups that meet up and occasionally go out drinking or do some other activity. I don't know if i'm seriously going to join either group; from the sounds of it a lot of foreign students are a part of them and I want to avoid those jerks as much as possible. Although since one must absolutely join either a circle or a club in order to be socially accepted in Japanese universities I will most likely "join" Niji no Kai because they seemed the most relaxed and i've made buddy-buddy with some of them already.
That night, despite my better judgement, we all went out to this pub that was right next door to the hotel. Again, another place where foreign students like to gather so, crossed off my list of hang out places. But it was fun with the Waseda students.
Next day was the big Waseda orientation with all the foreign students from everywhere. Just like any other new student orientation.
Went out drinking at a park that night with the Waseda students. I have a feeling this is something they make a habit of.
Then today finally, FINALLY found out who my host family is! They are so awesome (though I don't want to jinx it so i'm going to say no more about that). They have hosted 4 other students, all from Oregon and one was even named Jamie! Who likes a lot of the same things I like! She must die j/k. I live about an hour away from school which isn't that bad. I don't know the area at all but i'm going to use tomorrow to explore. I told them that I was on a diet and they were like "oh we eat nothing but veggies and healthy stuff so you'll be so thin by the time you go home!". Dear god I hope so. They don't eat much meat, only fish. I can deal with that.
I don't know my host mother's or father's name, they just want me to call them "Okaa-san" (Mom) and "Otou-san" (dad). I have a host sister who's 25 and seems really chill.
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| (L-R) host mother, Miyuki, me |
From here on out is where my new life in Tokyo officially begins. Here's to hoping it's a good one.
Peace outside the bacon
-J
